fallacy

noun

ˈfa-lə-sē How to pronounce fallacy (audio)
Definition of fallacynext
1
as in delusion
a false idea or belief the once-common fallacy that girls just weren't any good at math

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deception
the quality or state of being false the fallacy of the notion of spontaneous generation was demonstrated by the Dutch naturalist Leeuwenhoek

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 fallacy There is a fallacy in thinking of languages as brute and unchanging facts, laid out distinctly like elements in the periodic table. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 Alfred North Whitehead called this the fallacy of misplaced concreteness. — Gautam Mukunda, Mercury News, 19 May 2026 But some surgeons call this a fallacy. — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 14 May 2026 The sunk cost fallacy is the silent killer of rational decision-making. — Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for fallacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallacy
  1. delusion
  2. deception
  3. myth
  4. deceptiveness
  5. error
  6. falseness
  7. illusion
  8. falsehood
Noun
  • In contrast to the gorgeous monochrome visuals, this is a land that stinks of complicity and delusion — of opportunists desperate to scramble onto the right side of history.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Their passions and delusions strengthen through their symbiosis.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of delusion
Noun
  • But the quarterback sneak has never worked well because of its deception.
    — Sam McDowell November 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The resulting models displayed resistance to monitoring, deception, and attempts at self-preservation.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • For a young country, the United States is overblessed – or burdened – with myths about its foundation and how the nation has conducted itself at home and abroad.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The company said much of India’s mainstream horror keeps returning to the same supernatural staples and predictable beats, even though the country’s myths, folk tales and local beliefs offer far richer material.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of myth
Noun
  • Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
    — Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of deceptiveness
Noun
  • Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler lead Lakers past the Clippers in an error-prone game.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The two-point difference is within the poll’s margin of error.
    — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of error
Noun
  • The falseness of the medium, though, jibed with the falseness of most attempts, throughout American history, to make sense of this enormous, strange man.
    — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of falseness
Noun
  • The war has exacted a toll on their economies and shattered illusions about their security.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
  • And that created this brand, maybe an illusion for him, of radical transparency.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of illusion
Noun
  • An insistence on telling the truth, using the work as a vessel for honesty, for there can be no principled action taken on the back of falsehoods.
    — Via Haymarket Books, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Her Justice Department interview took place after publication, Gayles noted, and her lack of recollection did not establish that the reporters knowingly published falsehoods or seriously doubted their account.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of falsehood

Browse Nearby Words

fallaciousness
fallacy
fal-lal
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Cite this Entry

“Fallacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacy. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fallacy

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