as in ambiguity
reasoning or arguments that sound correct but are actually false
She said that many of the points made during the debate were pure sophistry.
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Recent Examples of sophistry
Many of Khan’s progressive allies have floated a much more realistic cure for Khan’s abysmal litigation track record: to rewrite antitrust laws in Congress, where laws are made, instead of losing case after case in court with tortured legalistic sophistry and ad hoc judicial rulemaking.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2023
Dickie, a student at Trinity College, wanders into a club debate, where he’s bewitched by the quicksilver sophistry of one of his peers, Willie, who is openly gay.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2023
While much of the book is devoted to contrasting the subtle reality of judicial decision-making with the crude portrayal that increasingly dominates popular discourse, the subtleties to which Breyer draws our attention are mostly sophistry—as Breyer more or less concedes.
—Ryan D. Doerfler, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2021
People know just enough to engage in sophistry so as to confuse and convince the choir, and bluster among the ignorant.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2013
See All Example Sentences for sophistry
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2023
Dickie, a student at Trinity College, wanders into a club debate, where he’s bewitched by the quicksilver sophistry of one of his peers, Willie, who is openly gay.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2023
While much of the book is devoted to contrasting the subtle reality of judicial decision-making with the crude portrayal that increasingly dominates popular discourse, the subtleties to which Breyer draws our attention are mostly sophistry—as Breyer more or less concedes.
—Ryan D. Doerfler, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2021
People know just enough to engage in sophistry so as to confuse and convince the choir, and bluster among the ignorant.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2013
See All Example Sentences for sophistry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophistry
Noun
-
With a multigenerational workforce and increasingly younger workforce seeking transparency, consider creating cultures where ambiguity is discussed openly, not masked with false certainty.—
Arthi Rabikrisson,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
Lynch opened up a whole new space where ambiguity wasn’t just tolerated — it was embraced.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
12 June 2025
Noun
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This stylization gives her a veneer of being disarmingly kind; but ultimately, is a form of deception that caused Sophie to fatally trust this person.—
Tiffany Leigh,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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Codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, the overnight mission relied on deception, aerial refueling, and near-total radio silence to hit Iran's Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities—sites that had withstood weeks of sustained Israeli attacks.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Megan Abbott is my favorite suspense/crime fiction writer working today.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
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Its slate includes a fiction feature, two documentaries, and two Latin American co-productions.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sophistry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophistry. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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