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 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
The fallacy in that argument might not jump out at everybody.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026
While Davies is Canada’s best player when fit, Canada Soccer has come to understand the fallacy in pinning their hopes on him, or any one player, over the past few years.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallacy
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
The fallacy in that argument might not jump out at everybody.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026
While Davies is Canada’s best player when fit, Canada Soccer has come to understand the fallacy in pinning their hopes on him, or any one player, over the past few years.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallacy
Noun
-
The first type is replete with hallucinations and delusions—voices, visions, grandiose beliefs, paranoia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fascist propaganda works by distraction and deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, Flores must continue to utilize deception to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With ‘Hold On To Your Angels,’ Benh has set his powerful mix of intense realism, myth, and magic against the large scale of an epic love story.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
7 May 2026
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With ‘Hold on to Your Angels,’ Benh has set his powerful mix of intense realism, myth, and magic against the large scale of an epic love story.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
7 May 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
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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
Noun
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Mayer advanced to third on a subsequent error by Walls trying to flip the ball to second base, which scored Yoshida, and came home himself on Caleb Durbin’s RBI single, tying the game at 3-3.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
8 May 2026
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He was found dead by suicide in his jail cell that August — the result of what federal investigators concluded in 2023 was a cascade of misconduct, negligence and errors by staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Masks are slipping and illusions are fading.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
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The United States, searching for self-definition but loath to lose its illusions—its innocence—needed all of this as a counterpoint.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
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There are questions being raised, and the best antidote for falsehood is the truth in accuracy.—
Adam Sabes , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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In the minutes, hours and days following Saturday’s interrupted White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Americans were inundated by falsehoods and conspiracy theories from nearly every flank.—
Jane Lytvynenko,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fallacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacy. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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