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
  • With attacks on the rise, the people of Arviat harbor no delusion that polar bears are endangered.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • There’s a lot of fantasy and delusion on this record, but there’s also a lot of genuine pain.
    — Katie Bain, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of delusion
Noun
  • Irey is now facing several charges, including obstruction of justice, theft by deception, forgery and others.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Even so, a person calling about an arrest or a custody dispute is just as likely to be anxious, and a voice that sounds human but is not can feel like deception, whatever the law requires.
    — Hamid Kohan, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • The myth of the invincible tech CEO Huang may have wielded incredible power at Nvidia, but more recent tech founders have worked to place a buffer around themselves even more durable than Huang’s.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Such were the sensitivities surrounding him and his myth that a single actor—the towering, schnozzy, serviceably chinless Adrien Cayla-Legrand—maintained an effective monopoly on the role for decades.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 12 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
  • Obstacles, wind, sensor errors, or other system failures can prevent it from completing the maneuver safely.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The Associated Press told CBS Miami that a data entry error caused an incorrect vote total to briefly appear for Locklin, which was quickly identified and corrected.
    — Joan Murray, CBS News, 7 Nov. 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

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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 13 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fallacy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fallacy

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