specious

WOTD – 31 August 2007    

English

Etymology

From Latin speciōsus (“good-looking”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈspiːʃəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːʃəs

Adjective

specious (comparative more specious, superlative most specious)

1. Seemingly well-reasoned or factual, but actually fallacious or insincere; strongly held but false.

   This idea that we must see through what we have started is specious, however good it may sound.

   • 1776, Thomas Paine, Common Sense

     I have frequently amused myself both in public and private companies, with silently remarking, the specious errors of those who speak without reflecting.

2. Having an attractive appearance intended to generate a favorable response; deceptively attractive.
3. (obsolete) Beautiful, pleasing to look at.

Synonyms

• (seemingly well-reasoned, but fallacious): fallacious, insincere
• (with appearance intended to generate a favorable response): meretricious

Derived terms

• speciosity
• speciously
• speciousness

Translations

seemingly well-reasoned, but fallacious

• Dutch: schoonschijnend (nl), misleidend (nl), ongegrond (nl),
• French: spécieux (fr) m, spécieuse (fr) f
• German: vordergründig (de), fadenscheinig (de), unfundiert (de), leer (de)

• Portuguese: especioso (pt)
• Serbo-Croatian: varav (sh), prividan (sh), tobožnji (sh), lažan (sh)
• Spanish: especioso (es)

Anagrams

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