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

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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 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
  • Nefarious actors have long been keen to fill the gap through what international law describes as coercion, deception and abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability.
    — Robert P. George, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Zishan Zeng, was charged with two counts of elder exploitation and two counts of theft by deception.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In eighth-century myths the aes sidhe are literally called the tribe of the gods, and there’s a story as well, in an account of Patrick’s life written in the late seventh century.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 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
  • Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Growing up in Wyoming’s rugged realities left no illusion that humans are solely in control.
    — Amelia Rose Barlow, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of illusion
Noun
  • But in a world filled with falsehoods and other noise, clear communication goes a long way.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But the tragedy conceals something nobody knows, and the falsehoods about Jung-hyun keep growing.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of falsehood

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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 26 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fallacy

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