as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
a specious argument that really does not stand up under close examination
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Recent Examples of specious
Most of these judges are issuing specious rulings that will be overturned by higher courts, but these judges are only the first stop in a judicial process that will ultimately lead to the Supreme Court.
—
Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Mar. 2025
Kennedy’s skill at flooding his audiences with specious claims that sound logical or highbrow was on full display during his 2023 interview with the podcaster Joe Rogan.
—Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
The specious comparison of women’s beach volleyball to football is not how a proper Title IX analysis works.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2025
But Kirkwood and director Sarah Benson leave no room for such a specious critique.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for specious
Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Mar. 2025
Kennedy’s skill at flooding his audiences with specious claims that sound logical or highbrow was on full display during his 2023 interview with the podcaster Joe Rogan.
—Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
The specious comparison of women’s beach volleyball to football is not how a proper Title IX analysis works.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2025
But Kirkwood and director Sarah Benson leave no room for such a specious critique.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for specious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specious
Adjective
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In the 1970s, information about the Tuskegee study – a deceptive and unethical 40-year study of untreated syphilis in Black men – came to light.—
Christine Coughlin,
The Conversation,
9 May 2025
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Anyone wanting to fight such usage would have to rely on deceptive practice laws, trademark and copyright protection, and state-specific laws protecting a person's name, image, and likeness.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Now their weird discomfort with disease—and their outré views on cancer in particular—is being refracted through a sea of false, indecent speculations.—
Benjamin Mazer,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2025
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This discrepancy hindered the adoption of BI, which might further damage AI by generating models that are trained with false assumptions and generate erroneous predictions.—
Artyom Keydunov,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Specious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specious. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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