fallacy

[fal-uh-see] / ˈfæl ə si /

NOUN

illusion, misconception

Synonyms

STRONGEST

deception falsehood heresy inconsistency misinterpretation paradox untruth

STRONG

aberration ambiguity artifice bias casuistry cavil deceit deceptiveness delusion deviation elusion equivocation erratum erroneousness error evasion faultiness flaw illogicality inexactness invalidity misapprehension miscalculation misconstrual mistake notion perversion preconception prejudice quirk solecism sophism sophistry speciousness subterfuge

WEAK

non sequitur quibbling

Antonyms

STRONGEST

truth

STRONG

accuracy certainty conformity correction directness facing fairness frankness honesty meeting openness reality sameness truthfulness

WEAK

evidence fact right surety

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“A major fallacy is assuming that policies that work in one country will automatically work in another,” Josh Michaud, the associate director of global health and public health policy at KFF, told Salon.

From Salon

In such a predicament, many would fall prey to a mixed-up way of thinking called the “sunk cost fallacy,” which is best explained by telling a brief story.

From Literature

That would be a fallacy, but Mr. Bottum didn’t commit it.

From The Wall Street Journal

“There’s this fallacy that companies were lowering the bar,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

I place that term in quotation marks since, as many people have said and continue to say, the version of “debate” that Kirk popularized is a wrestling match in a mud pit of logical fallacies.

From Salon

fallacy

Example Sentences

Related Words