1
as in delusion
a false idea or belief
the once-common fallacy that girls just weren't any good at math
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fallacy
This mindset, however, can also foster a sunk cost fallacy.
—
Kumar Rakesh Ranjan, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2026
The fallacy of first is demonstrated by the Netscape, Napster, Sony’s Betamax, GM’s EV1 electric vehicle, Kodak’s first digital camera in 1975, and UPS’ launch of an overnight delivery service in 1929 as potent reminders that being first is not the winning formula; being the best is.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
This was the fallacy that led to the rise of elegant, beautiful, and compelling scenarios — grand unification, supersymmetry, extra dimensions, and string theory — whose predictions simply don’t appear to match experimental reality in any measurable way.
—Big Think, 1 Apr. 2026
Rose pointed out that our decision-making, especially System 1 decision-making, is affected by cognitive biases and logical fallacies.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallacy
Kumar Rakesh Ranjan, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2026
The fallacy of first is demonstrated by the Netscape, Napster, Sony’s Betamax, GM’s EV1 electric vehicle, Kodak’s first digital camera in 1975, and UPS’ launch of an overnight delivery service in 1929 as potent reminders that being first is not the winning formula; being the best is.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
This was the fallacy that led to the rise of elegant, beautiful, and compelling scenarios — grand unification, supersymmetry, extra dimensions, and string theory — whose predictions simply don’t appear to match experimental reality in any measurable way.
—Big Think, 1 Apr. 2026
Rose pointed out that our decision-making, especially System 1 decision-making, is affected by cognitive biases and logical fallacies.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallacy
Noun
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The darkly comedic drama confronts reality, privacy, and the delusions fueling our ever-changing world.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
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Also, just a little bit of delusion will carry you a long way.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Noun
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But the dramatic vision-boosting reputation carrots have carried for decades traces back to a wartime deception, not science.—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
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People desperately need reassurances that elections are decided honestly, without tricks or deception to favor a candidate or a party.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2026
Noun
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This belief underwrites the common myth that true style is effortless, a form of expression that arises from indifference rather than care.—
Jacob Brogan,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
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Advertisement Part of why this myth persists, Masland says, is that the hardest moments are the most visible ones.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2026
Noun
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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
Noun
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Mexico opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Quiñones capitalized on a defensive error by South Africa and fired a shot down the middle, between the legs of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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If the water tank was destroyed amid the larger US attack in response to the helicopter downing, Ball said the location makes an error in the weapon’s guidance unlikely.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Noun
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For that reason, the episode also has something to teach about truth and falsehood in ChatGPT and other such generative-AI products.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
26 Nov. 2025
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For Shepard, the West was both the authentic place (meaning a life lived close to the land) and the realm of falsehood (Hollywood).—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The latest tit-for-tat strikes threaten to completely shatter any lingering illusion of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran that supposedly began on April 8.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
10 June 2026
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The former offers the illusion of control while creating new vulnerabilities.—
Leonard Lim,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fallacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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