specious

adjective

spe·​cious ˈspē-shəs 

1

: having a false look of truth or genuineness : sophistic

specious reasoning

2

: having deceptive attraction or allure

3

obsolete : showy

speciously adverb

speciousness noun

Did you know?

Specious comes from Latin speciosus, meaning "beautiful" or "plausible," and Middle English speakers used it to mean "visually pleasing." In time, specious had begun to suggest an attractiveness that was superficial or deceptive, and, subsequently, the word's neutral "pleasing" sense faded into obsolescence.

Synonyms

• beguiling
• deceitful
• deceiving
• deceptive
• deluding
• delusive
• delusory
• fallacious
• false
• misleading

Examples of specious in a Sentence

Forty years ago I was not yet thirty, and my father still held to the hope that I would come to my senses, abandon the practice of journalism, and follow a career in one of the Wall Street money trades. As a young man during the Great Depression he had labored briefly as a city-room reporter for William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Examiner, and he knew that the game was poorly paid and usually rigged, more often than not a matter of converting specious rumor into dubious fact. —Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, February 2004

By and large, they made these changes with specious explanations or no explanation at all. Today, when curricula list rhetoric as a subject, it usually means simply the study of how to write effectively. —Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy, (1982) 2002

One must always guard the interests of one's constituency in the public forum even when its claims are weak or perhaps specious, lest one's opponents steal the march in the never-ending battle for resources or public support. —Robert Jackall et al., Image Makers, 2000

He justified his actions with specious reasoning.

a specious argument that really does not stand up under close examination

Recent Examples on the Web

Bipartisan support to reverse that seems encouraging, but seeking to end even specious fundraising tactics during a heated election year is a tall order. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2024

This specious argument against GOP intransigence is an embarrassment for democracy-minded voters. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, visually pleasing, from Latin speciosus beautiful, plausible, from species

First Known Use

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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Kids Definition

specious

adjective

spe·​cious ˈspē-shəs 

: having a false look of being fair, just, or right

a specious argument

speciously adverb

speciousness noun