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junk science

junk science

7 7.4
False or weak claims presented as based on careful study to mislead people
  • noun
  • /dʒʌŋk ˈsaɪəns/
  • Literature
translation icon : pseudo-ciencia
  • Critics argue that the study's conclusions are merely junk science, intended to promote a specific agenda rather than reflect reality.
  • calls junk science

And this is the phenomenon of the California media junk science.

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Examples

  • Many health claims are often based on junk science, which can mislead consumers into making poor choices.

  • But that kind of junk science puts innocent people in jail.

  • It's pure junk science and it's high time we recognize it as such.

    Blog text (31)
  • We view it as a way of checking up on the people who want to use junk science to regulate how we live.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Military housing insurance companies are using junk science to assess breed risk.

    Blog text (22)
  • Please try reading real science on the carbon cycle rather than junk science meant to deceive you.

    Blog text (25)
  • Scores of scientists, they say, have labeled the use of such tests to verify age as "junk science."

    Academic text (2005)
  • There have been widespread allegations of junk science leveled at Mark Regnerus.

    Blog text (32)
  • The report was dismissed as junk science because it lacked credible evidence and clear methodology.

Synonyms

pseudoscience
vsjunk science
11 8.0

Ideas or practices that pretend to be based on facts but have no good proof

is often individual claims or practices rather than an organized belief system
quackademic approach
vsjunk science
  • Offensive
9.9

A method that looks scientific but has no real evidence

is broader and often intentionally deceptive rather than only academic style
crank science
vsjunk science
  • Slang
9.6

False or not proven ideas that claim to explain how the world works

is often intended to mislead rather than merely being logically flawed

Antonyms

scientific research
  • Specialized
32 3.4

A careful study in science to find facts and new ideas

How Scientific

junk science
  • Literature
7 7.4
pseudoscience
11 8.0

Surface Forms

junk science singular
junk sciences plural

Morphology

junk + science

The phrase is a straightforward adjective–noun composition: 'junk' (worthless, discarded) modifying 'science' (systematic study), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it means low-quality or unreliable science. This compositional pattern is common and the evaluative sense of 'junk' applied to a domain is readily predictable, making the overall meaning transparent.

Etymology

Junk science comes from the image of junk, meaning trash, mixed with science, as if a study were a pile of rubbish. That's why the phrase describes research or claims that look scientific but are actually 'not real science'.