ad hominem
3
8.6
- idiom
- /æd ˈhɒmɪnɛm/
:
ad hominem
- Claiming "this is wrong because of its associations and because of why he said it" is ad hominem.
- ad hominem attacks
Examples
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But since it's become an issue, a simple ad hominem is simply an attack against the person.
Blog text (16) -
Jason, an ad hominem is a *personal attack* or appeal to emotion.
Blog text (16) -
To be ad hominem, arguments have to bring into play unrelated, negative, and personal aspects.
Blog text (34) -
Are you aware of the informal logical fallacy known as argumentum ad hominem?
Blog text (16) -
Critics argue that attacking a person's character instead of their ideas is merely an ad hominem strategy.
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During the debate, several participants resorted to ad hominem remarks rather than addressing the actual topics.
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An effective argument should focus on the issues at hand, avoiding any form of ad hominem criticism.
Synonyms
2
4.9
Using insulting words to hurt or shame someone instead of discussing the problem
Antonyms
How Personal
Surface Forms
Morphology
ad + hominem
The phrase is a borrowed Latin compound whose constituents literally mean 'to/toward the person' (ad = to; hominem = person), so a learner who knows those meanings could infer it refers to something directed at a person rather than the issue. However, because the words are Latin rather than productive English components and the phrase denotes a technical logical-fallacy concept rather than a simple literal action, full comprehension of the specific argumentative meaning is not guaranteed without prior exposure or disciplinary knowledge.
Etymology
Ad hominem comes from the Latin words ad and hominem, which mean 'to' and 'the person'. Imagine someone in a debate pointing at the person instead of the idea — that's why this adjective describes an argument that attacks a person rather than the issue.