fallacious

adjective

fə-ˈlā-shəs How to pronounce fallacious (audio)
Definition of fallaciousnext
1
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning it's fallacious to say that something must exist because science hasn't proven its nonexistence

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive consumers who harbor the fallacious belief that credit-card spending will never catch up with them

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fallacious There is a widespread but fallacious perception that India's tariffs are inordinately high. — Mohan Kumar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025 The same economists who believe in the same fallacious economic notions? — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025 That will in turn spread on social media, which often plays a disproportional role in boosting these disinformation efforts by providing nearly unlimited platforms for unfiltered content and fallacious and deceptive claims. — Peter Suciu, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 There might be a bigger market for these products, and more consumers might be immune to the fallacious argument that they’re overly processed, if more people were persuaded of the ills of factory farming. — Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See All Example Sentences for fallacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallacious
  1. unreasonable
  2. misleading
  3. irrational
  4. deceptive
  5. unreasoning
  6. false
  7. illegitimate
  8. unreasoned
Adjective
  • Chad Marlow, a policy attorney with the ACLU, argues that citizens remain at risk for unreasonable surveillance under Missouri’s new guidelines.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The factors most closely tied to burnout included unfair treatment, crushing workloads, unclear expectations, poor communication and support from managers, and unreasonable deadlines.
    — Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unreasonable
Adjective
  • As a result, choosing a plan based solely on monthly premiums can be misleading.
    — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Idaho Consumer Protection Act, enacted in 1971, protects consumers from false, deceptive or misleading representations, advertising, pricing and contracts.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • The industrial revolutions of the past produced enormous value alongside bankruptcies, dislocations, and periods of irrational exuberance.
    — Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • If anyone can reconstruct Apéry’s reasoning, the odd values of zeta may finally be proven irrational.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • The Idaho Consumer Protection Act, enacted in 1971, protects consumers from false, deceptive or misleading representations, advertising, pricing and contracts.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026
  • What Apple says about suspicious iMessages Apple says this type of deceptive messaging uses social engineering, a tactic in which scammers rely on impersonation and manipulation to persuade people to share personal information.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • But in each event—in the living act, the undoubted deed—there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • Roosevelt surely understood that nameless, unreasoning, unjustified fear cannot be eradicated.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 9 June 2026
Definition of unreasoning
Adjective
  • Screening mammograms miss about one in eight breast cancers overall, and people with dense breasts are more likely to get false-negative results, the American Cancer Society reports.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Overall, screening mammograms miss about one in eight breast cancers, and people with dense breasts are more likely to get false-negative results.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • An adult child can claim authority over the meaning of a life without proving that everything inherited is therefore illegitimate.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Saman admitted to purchasing much of his inventory from brokers or middlemen, which the department identified as illegitimate distributors of the brands.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of illegitimate
Adjective
  • In each case, the actual right to your body is deferred to some third party, either the paternalists, the hypothetical children, or unreasoned authority.
    — Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2011
Definition of unreasoned

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Cite this Entry

“Fallacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacious. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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