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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While these songs might appear to be somewhat straightforward EBM that wear their politics on their latex sleeve, there’s a level of ambiguity at work that moves Kissing Luck Goodbye past its own bromides and into deeper artistic territory.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
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But that ambiguity only sharpens the point.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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However genuine their connection, their paths were forged in deception and self-loathing.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
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Their commitment to the deception has no limit.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 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
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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
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The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
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Shot on 16mm, the film blends fiction and documentary and tackles themes ranging from labor rights to gender identity.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sophistry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophistry. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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