specious
Use specious to describe an argument that seems to be good, correct, or logical, but is not so. We live on the earth, therefore the earth must be the center of the universe. This has been proven to be a specious theory of the solar system.
Specious is pronounced "SPEE-shuhs." Something that is specious is attractive in a deceptive way, and if you follow the word's etymology, you'll see why. In Middle English, this adjective meant "attractive," from Latin speciōsus, "showy, beautiful," from speciēs, "appearance, kind, sort."
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plausible but false
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based on pretense; deceptively pleasingsynonyms: gilded, meretriciousinsincerelacking sincerity
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Vocabulary lists containing specious
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When they are marooned on a deserted island, a group of schoolboys attempts to form a new society.
Published in 1949, this dystopian classic imagines a future of perpetual war, militaristic propaganda, and total government surveillance.