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
  • On the surface, paying as low as 24 cents for an hour of streaming game time doesn’t sound completely unreasonable.
    — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • If Putin rejects the framework — or, more likely, demands unreasonable changes — then the world will at least know who blocked the fledgling peace effort.
    — David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of unreasonable
Adjective
  • Soon afterward, an investment-research firm alleged that the company had made misleading claims about pre-orders.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has described the broadcast as false, misleading and defamatory under Florida law.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • Giving any person a $100 million contract to coach a college athletic team is irrational.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The industrial revolutions of the past produced enormous value alongside bankruptcies, dislocations, and periods of irrational exuberance.
    — Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • Supporters say licensing will give California the authority to act on any complaints, and to investigate and penalize companies for unfair or deceptive practices.
    — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Esparza pushed back against the claim that the group was being deceptive.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 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
  • The men stopped short of signing the oath required for vouching, but Moriarty said that giving false names and starting the process was enough to justify the felony charges.
    — Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Bhengura faces a maximum of five years in prison on the false statements of citizenship in order to register to vote count and a maximum of one year in prison on the voting by an alien in a federal election count.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • Finally, the article argues that the federal lawsuit threatens state control over election administration and could fuel further claims that election results are illegitimate.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 31 Oct. 2026.

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