spurious

spu·ri·ous

adj \ˈspyu̇r-ē-əs\

Definition of SPURIOUS

1

: of illegitimate birth : bastard

2

: outwardly similar or corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities : false <the spurious eminence of the pop celebrity>

3

a : of falsified or erroneously attributed origin : forged b : of a deceitful nature or quality <spurious excuses>

— spu·ri·ous·ly adverb

— spu·ri·ous·ness noun

Examples of SPURIOUS

1. <a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn't have fooled an art expert for a second>
2. <claimed that the governor's election-year enthusiasm for conservation was spurious, since he had cut funding for state parks>
3. One reiterated theme of his book is that the electoral process can be the most dangerous of delusions, tending to confer a spurious legitimacy on those most willing to corrupt it. —Hilary Mantel, New York Review, 21 Sept. 2006
4. Of all the potentially spurious phrases regularly found lurking on book jackets, none should be approached with greater wariness than “This is his first novel.” —Tony Early, New York Times Book Review, 30 Apr. 2000
5. I have no special interest in defending modern finance theory, but I think it is important to get this straight, lest Soros's own ideas acquire spurious validity as a practical corrective to academic moonshine. —Robert M. Solow, New Republic, 12 Apr. 1999

Origin of SPURIOUS

Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin spurius false, from Latin, of illegitimate birth, from spurius, noun, bastard

First Known Use: 1598

Related to SPURIOUS

Synonyms: bogus, fake, false, forged, inauthentic, phony (also phoney), queer, sham, snide, counterfeit, unauthentic

Antonyms: authentic, bona fide, genuine, real, unfaked

Related Words: artificial, factitious, imitation, man-made, mimic, mock, simulated, substitute, synthetic; dummy, nonfunctioning, ornamental; cultured, fabricated, manufactured; deceptive, delusive, misleading

Near Antonyms: natural; actual, true, valid

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with SPURIOUS

curious, furious