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
The majority, rather than being rattled by a president who had attempted a coup, labored to protect the country from the hypothetical danger of a presidency rendered impotent by specious criminal prosecutions.
—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).
—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
These novels offer a post-colonial perspective—an understanding that, though these Americans may have done something positive in China by building roads or hospitals, their very presence, and certainly their perspective on their purpose there, is specious.
—
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Oltmann’s specious claims against Eric Coomer, a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, cost Coomer more than Oltmann can ever repay — his reputation, health, and safety.
—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specious
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).
—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
These novels offer a post-colonial perspective—an understanding that, though these Americans may have done something positive in China by building roads or hospitals, their very presence, and certainly their perspective on their purpose there, is specious.
—
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Oltmann’s specious claims against Eric Coomer, a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, cost Coomer more than Oltmann can ever repay — his reputation, health, and safety.
—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specious
Adjective
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This headline is so misleading.
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Pretending that’s not going to happen is misleading and wrong.
Adjective
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Despite criticism over opaque and deceptive practices, prediction markets’ election favorites won most of the time, a Washington Post analysis found; more liquid in betting markets improves their accuracy, economists told CNN, but could carry negative social costs.
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This is the essence of GPS spoofing, in which an attacker floods a GPS receiver with deceptive signals.
Adjective
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Nadi Jabari, 46, was charged with false personation, unlawful use of a blue light and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
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Back when King was indicted in the summer of 2025, about 200 of them gathered in a Cleburne conference hall to make plans about how to support the sheriff, and decried the allegations against him as false attacks on King’s character.
Cite this Entry
“Specious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specious. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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