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
-
There’s a seductive delusion to FatFIRE—one that promises the world can be opted out of, if not mastered.—
Joshua Rivera,
Vanity Fair,
8 June 2026
-
One neighbor told the local TV station that Gledhill appeared to suffer from delusions.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
According to research from Charlemagne Labs, an AI-security startup, AI models already widely available can now sustain believable, multi-turn deception—conversations that span many back-and-forth exchanges rather than a single message—which is the hardest part of real-world scams.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
That was a deliberate lie, deception and/or omission.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Their saliva causes intense itching and irritation in humans and animals — so much so that the common myth is that chiggers bury into the skin and stay.—
Eva Flowe
June 11,
Charlotte Observer,
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
-
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
-
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
-
As each flaw and error in the early development of vaccines became clear, researchers and practitioners responded, fixing problems as they were identified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Such undead falsehoods drive our current peril.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
They are peppered with falsehoods, misrepresentations, insults, praise, self-promotion and erratic capitalizations.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 14 Jun. 2026.
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