as in logic
formal
a formal argument that is formed by two statements and a conclusion which must be true if the two statements are true
An example of a syllogism is: "All men are human; all humans are mortal; therefore all men are mortal."
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Recent Examples of syllogism
The syllogism works only with two premises and a conclusion.
—
The Lost Women Of Science Initiative, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2023
The ability to count indefinitely beyond fingers or body parts; to read, write, store, and learn ideas through text; the tendency to reason abstractly with syllogisms and enthymemes and approximations of formal logic – all were tools for thinking that were culturally created and then transmitted.
—Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2023
This syllogism is embraced by many Democrats, who are determined to recapture an industrial working-class base, and many Republicans, who use it as evidence that the government has sold out American workers in the heartland.
—Adam S. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Twitter users often accept a flawed syllogism by using a conclusion as one of the premises – namely, that the platform spreads truthful information.
—Aaron Duncan, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2020
Chairman Xi will undoubtedly want to prevent this syllogism from presenting itself to the minds of Chinese Christians.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 1 Oct. 2020
The syllogism runs something like this: Jews, regardless of their American citizenship, owe loyalty to Israel.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2019
Realizing Santa wasn't real made the syllogism obvious.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2010
The Lost Women Of Science Initiative, Scientific American, 30 Nov. 2023
The ability to count indefinitely beyond fingers or body parts; to read, write, store, and learn ideas through text; the tendency to reason abstractly with syllogisms and enthymemes and approximations of formal logic – all were tools for thinking that were culturally created and then transmitted.
—Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2023
This syllogism is embraced by many Democrats, who are determined to recapture an industrial working-class base, and many Republicans, who use it as evidence that the government has sold out American workers in the heartland.
—Adam S. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Twitter users often accept a flawed syllogism by using a conclusion as one of the premises – namely, that the platform spreads truthful information.
—Aaron Duncan, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2020
Chairman Xi will undoubtedly want to prevent this syllogism from presenting itself to the minds of Chinese Christians.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 1 Oct. 2020
The syllogism runs something like this: Jews, regardless of their American citizenship, owe loyalty to Israel.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2019
Realizing Santa wasn't real made the syllogism obvious.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for syllogism
Noun
-
Peter offers her not only logic — a picture in which all the parts, however gruesome, fit together — but salvation.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
That logic applies to the Middle East.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Her reasoning is frustrating, but understandable — her husband (Yao), now a vampire, is taunting her outside, and Remmick has threatened to kill her daughter back in town.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The court did not explain its reasoning in the brief order, as is typical on its emergency docket.—
Michael Casey,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Because the dopants are earth-abundant, the synthesis uses conventional solid-state processing, and no inert atmosphere is required, the approach aligns well with existing gigafactory infrastructure.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
-
By adjusting a typical polymer synthesis to work in water, the researchers created the gas-permeable polymer polynorbornene, which is harmless to plants but which weakens the cell membranes of a various harmful bacteria.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Syllogism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syllogism. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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