sophistry
- noun
- /ˈsɑːfɪstri/
- Their cleverness allows them to construct beguiling sophistry to justify the actions they already want to take.
Philosophy gets counterposed to rhetoric, and often rhetoric gets lumped under sophistry, Right?
- Philosophy gets counterposed to rhetoric, and often rhetoric gets lumped under sophistry, Right?
- What what holds the band does not mere intellectual sophistry or gymnastics or even mastery.
Examples
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In his speech, he resorted to sophistry to mislead the audience about the real issue.
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Tennyson dismisses a silly argument about science, the kind of sophistry woven by such tormentors as Job's "comforters."
Academic text (1992) -
But this, too, is all sophistry and error.
Academic text (1994) -
So he calls this the sophistry of perception.
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There is no debate; this is pure sophistry with the result already predetermined.
Blog text (17) -
Regular readers need not reflect for very long about the sophistry involved in Mr. Tester's comment.
Blog text (5) -
There is nothing intellectual about using sophistry in the service of greed and privilege.
Blog text (14) -
His rant was chock-full of the type of sophistry we've come to expect from the religious right.
Academic text (2010) -
Yet Rush has chosen the liberal tactic of sophistry using propaganda and the amnesty lie.
Blog text (16) -
His worldview is thus the Marxian sophistry that socialism is a "new kind of freedom."
Blog text (2)
Synonyms
Words that sound impressive but have little real meaning
An action that makes someone believe something not true
A false show that hides what is really happening
A false claim or action to hide the truth
A clever trick to deceive someone
A report or statement that gives a false picture of the truth
Information people spread on purpose to deceive others
An argument made to be easily attacked instead of the real one
Actions that hide the truth by making things look better
A trick used to cheat people, often to get their money
Talk that is not true and tries to trick people
An action or statement that hides the real reason behind something
Words or actions that trick people by seeming magical
Hiding your true feelings or intentions by pretending
Using clever but false arguments to mislead people
A reason that seems good but is actually wrong
Talk that tries to trick people with false statements
A clever but wrong argument used to trick people
The appearance of being true when it is false
Using clever but wrong reasoning to avoid giving a clear answer
Dishonest words or actions that try to trick people
False or incomplete information spread on purpose to make people believe something untrue
Words or actions that try to trick people into thinking things are better than they are
Antonyms
How Deceptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word sophistry comes from Greek roots like sophist and sophia, which mean 'wise' or 'wisdom', and the same root appears in philosophy ('love of wisdom'). Long ago a sophist was a teacher who sometimes used clever arguments to trick people, so sophistry now means clever-sounding but false or misleading reasoning.