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View synonyms for

specious

[ spee-shuhs ]

adjective

  1. apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible:

    specious arguments.

    Antonyms:

  2. pleasing to the eye but deceptive.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms:

  3. Obsolete. pleasing to the eye; fair.


specious

/ ˈ辱ːʃə /

adjective

  1. apparently correct or true, but actually wrong or false
  2. deceptively attractive in appearance
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ𳦾dzܲԱ, noun
  • ˈ𳦾dzܲ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • cdzܲ· adverb
  • cdzܲ·Ա noun
  • ԴDz·cdzܲ adjective
  • non·cdzܲ· adverb
  • non·cdzܲ·Ա noun
  • ܲ·cdzܲ adjective
  • un·cdzܲ· adverb
  • un·cdzܲ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of specious1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin 𳦾ōܲ “fair, good-looking, beautiful,” equivalent to 𳦾(ŧ) ( species ) + -ōܲ adjective suffix; -ous
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Word History and Origins

Origin of specious1

C14 (originally: fair): from Latin 𳦾ōܲ plausible, from 𳦾ŧ outward appearance, from specere to look at
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Compare Meanings

How does specious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He also accused the businessman of "resorting to all sorts of specious legal twists" and claimed he should "start behaving respectfully".

From

ABC, the president of ABC News was no doubt opposed to caving to Trump on his specious claim.

From

Nor do a publisher’s specious appeals to us based on bothsiderism in an existential election.

From

And as they did in 2020, Trump’s agents and allies are already preparing to flood the courts with specious lawsuits to stop Kamala Harris from assuming office if she wins the 2024 election.

From

Kevin Maher of the Times called the film "puerile, pointless and intellectually specious", noting that some audience members walked out of the Cannes Film Festival screening.

From

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speciosityspecious present