specious

adjective

ˈspē-shəs How to pronounce specious (audio)
Definition of speciousnext
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive a specious argument that really does not stand up under close examination

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of specious His lawyer, John Carman, said federal prosecutors dressed up a mundane paperwork case with specious suggestions that Lu was involved in spying and intelligence gathering. — ABC News, 13 May 2026 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 In its opinion, the district court admonished Aston for unhelpful responses, specious arguments, and sloppy portrayals of the statements alleged to be responsive. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 14 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 See All Example Sentences for specious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specious
  1. misleading
  2. deceptive
  3. false
Adjective
  • But in an interview with NPR last year, Patterson said the projection can create a misleading impression when used as a general-purpose world map.
    — Jewel Bright, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The White House’s misleading stats on oil shipments from the Gulf.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • The technology was also tested against deceptive behaviour, an in a different scenario, fishing boats appeared to retreat while vessels from another direction accelerated toward the coastguard ship.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The siblings are likely to dispute Jeanie’s characterization of their actions as deceptive and clandestine, perhaps by pointing to communications with their sister and her responses.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • The lawsuit filed by two former employees contains allegations that are false, misleading, and unsupported by credible evidence.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Zucker provided false and misleading statements to investigators, according to a summary of findings released Wednesday.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of false

Browse Nearby Words

specimens
specious
speciousness
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Cite this Entry

“Specious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specious. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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