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
  • What is sophistic is therefore to let the movement from sentience to moral status and then from moral status to legal rights happen without making visible the additional premises that are necessary at each stage.
    — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • 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
  • Between restructuring waves, automation fears and flattening hierarchies, that concern isn’t always irrational.
    — Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The fact, in other words, that there often isn’t a right answer or a clear victor—and that rational people are subject to irrational forces within and above them.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • These limitations could easily produce an analysis that is misleading or inaccurate.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • As Congress debated the legislation in May 2025, the White House put out a news release with the misleading claim that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would remove Medicaid coverage for people who are in the country without authorization.
    — Phil Galewitz, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • This specious parallel is all too readily available; the bombing of Dresden is the more obvious comparison.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of specious
Adjective
  • But that’s illogical, given the enormous ratings for the Seahawks–Patriots game, which was shown on the NBC broadcast network and the Peacock streaming service.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Trump's resumption of his illogical on-again, off-again trade war with our ally to the north has caused considerable economic concern in Canada, but has also activated a rush of resilience that Republicans in America can only dream of.
    — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of illogical
Adjective
  • But several individually reasonable events, viewed together and over time, can tell an unreasonable story.
    — Shahen Minasyan, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • At the outset of the Biden administration in January 2021, NASA was still targeting a 2024 lunar landing, even though this was widely seen as unreasonable.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 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
eristic
ermine
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Cite this Entry

“Eristic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eristic. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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