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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
The same economists who believe in the same fallacious economic notions?
—
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Lawyers who argued for his ouster on behalf of the National Assembly said the claims by Mr. Yoon were fallacious.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 1 Apr. 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
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Lawyers who argued for his ouster on behalf of the National Assembly said the claims by Mr. Yoon were fallacious.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 1 Apr. 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
Adjective
-
Gill's decision came after Scott's lawyer requested to suspend the trial on the grounds that the grandparents had not met the state statute requiring them to prove Scott's decision to keep them from seeing Laila was unreasonable.—
Juliet Pennington,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Keirans, 59, argued the 144-month prison term was unreasonable and that special conditions of supervised release were improper.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However, he was later granted a new trial after a judge ruled that star witness Duane Deaver, a State Bureau of Investigation crime lab agent, provided misleading and false testimony, per WRAL.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The Cass County Emergency Services Board, National Weather Service and Everbridge are investigating the cause of the misleading notifications.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Letting Jinx stay is yet another act of irrational love from Margo.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
-
That resistance is not irrational.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The suit alleges negligence, personal injury and deceptive business practices.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Barrera played Michelle, a deceptive character who will keep everyone guessing.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Adjective
-
But that confidence could harbor false hope, says Kelly Richardson, principal of Richardson Ober LLP, a California law firm known for offering community association advice, and a monthly contributing writer to the Southern California News Group.—
Amancai Biraben,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The indictment also charges Meade and West each with one count of conspiracy to obstruct and defeat the Internal Revenue Service, five counts of attempts to interfere with administration of internal revenue laws and seven counts of aiding or assisting the filing of false documents, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Motta had been completely unaware that the accidents Garrison and Alfortish had brought her were illegitimate, Toomey insisted.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The only one that can be called truly illegitimate by global and historical standards is the claim to the whole of the South China Sea.—
Anatol Lieven,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Fallacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacious. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
