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
The 2022 vaccine mandate decision, another 6-3 masterpiece, turned on sophistry that workplace rules only covered hazards found solely in the workplace (but somehow excluding, say, forced air-breathing with infected employees), and ignored the deeper reality that vaccines save lives.
—
The Editors, Scientific American, 10 July 2024
And if Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta try to point it out before Manchester City faces Arsenal on Sunday, it will be viewed as gamesmanship, or deflection, or unapologetic sophistry.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Amid the verbal sophistry of recent months, it’s become increasingly clear that actions speak far louder.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 23 Dec. 2023
Today, no amount of sophistry can sustain that claim.
—Andrew J. Bacevich, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sophistry
The Editors, Scientific American, 10 July 2024
And if Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta try to point it out before Manchester City faces Arsenal on Sunday, it will be viewed as gamesmanship, or deflection, or unapologetic sophistry.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Amid the verbal sophistry of recent months, it’s become increasingly clear that actions speak far louder.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 23 Dec. 2023
Today, no amount of sophistry can sustain that claim.
—Andrew J. Bacevich, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sophistry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophistry
Noun
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Cinema raises moral questions and asks us to endure ambiguity rather than resolve it prematurely.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In the entrance room, a large-scale web of glass spheres suspended overhead evokes the ambiguity of safety and fear.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Stolen Girl series follows a mother whose young daughter goes missing after a sleepover, unfolding into a story of deception, family secrets, and betrayal.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2026
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That endorsement comes from someone who has watched every moment of every season’s deception and strategy unfold.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 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
Noun
-
Ginger Strand Ginger Strand is an American author of nonfiction and fiction.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
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However, a narrative/fiction film has typically emerged as the winner, which is unsurprising given that more critics focus on that genre of filmmaking than on nonfiction.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sophistry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophistry. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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