eristic

adjective

variants also eristical
Definition of eristicnext
as in sophistic

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for eristic
  1. sophistic
  2. irrational
  3. misleading
  4. specious
  5. illogical
  6. unreasonable
  7. fallacious
  8. nonrational
Adjective
  • The characters are treated with odd touches of realism and their sophistic arguments are stingingly psychologized.
    — Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 8 Sep. 2017
Definition of sophistic
Adjective
  • For all the film focuses on Carlson’s irrational attempts to peg the murder on gay people, the actual gay man Tom disappears from the narrative for long periods of time.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 July 2026
  • Retailers’ reputations as poor environments for technology innovation is not unjustified, but their behavior is not completely irrational either.
    — Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • Spanish officials have blamed traffickers for spreading similar misleading information, and there is a growing suspicion that Moroccan authorities initially failed to stop the crowds, intentionally allowing the surge to grow.
    — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Pruitt’s interest in opera is genuine, but the flourish is misleading.
    — Carson Griffith, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • In the world of wellness and health content, few areas of our anatomy attract more interest lately — and specious claims — than the gut microbiome.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 22 June 2026
  • In fairness, concluding no one cares is a specious take, at best, based on the evidence Tuesday.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Definition of specious
Adjective
  • As presented in the Gang’s illogical scapegoating, fear-mongering, and overall manipulative self-exoneration, the debate turned into a farce.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • For instance, a sleep issue prompt yields varied advice depending on prior conversational context, occasionally making illogical leaps.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of illogical
Adjective
  • Which is not entirely unreasonable given this very specific set of circumstances.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Recalls are issued when vehicle owners, regulators, or manufacturers determine that a potentially faulty component presents an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet specified standards.
    — Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of unreasonable
Adjective
  • Defenders of Israel believe that designation is fallacious and dangerous.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
  • There is a widespread but fallacious perception that India's tariffs are inordinately high.
    — Mohan Kumar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
Definition of fallacious
Adjective
  • Mid-century collective behavior theories considered social movements to be nonrational, spontaneous events occurring during moments of social and cultural breakdown.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of nonrational
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.

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ergo
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ermine
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Cite this Entry

“Eristic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eristic. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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