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speciousness

speciousness

1 9.4
The appearance of being true when it is false
  • noun
  • /ˈspiːʃəsnəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : falsedad
  • Despite the speciousness of the argument he presented, some people still found it convincing.

Examples

  • I could go on and on picking apart the speciousness, sentence by sentence, but the main problem with your position is that you have none.

    Blog text (11)
  • For Tlingits, the speciousness behind claims of possession and sale of Tlingit territory is a historical truth and not merely a revised version of history.

    Academic text (2009)
  • But what I'm sure of is the speciousness of telling people that they are akin to all the other people in that geographic region by virtue of where they choose to live.

    Blog text (24)
  • Also, your argument takes on an air of speciousness when you compare non-insurance-provided health care to government-provided health insurance, conveniently overlooking the costs of private health insurance.

    Blog text (27)
  • The speciousness of his explanation became clear when the evidence was presented.

  • Many people were swayed by the speciousness of the politician's promises during the campaign.

Synonyms

pretense
vsspeciousness
  • US
65 6.1

A false claim or action to hide the truth

is the general quality of seeming true while actually false
smoke and mirrors
vsspeciousness
  • Informal
19 7.4

Actions that hide the truth by making things look better

is the trait of seeming true rather than the set of deceptive acts
sophistry
vsspeciousness
7 9.8

Use of clever but false arguments to trick people

is a broader quality of seeming true rather than argument trickery
deception
vsspeciousness
6 4.3

A trick that makes something look like real magic

describes a constant quality of seeming true while being false
falsity
vsspeciousness
6 7.9

A statement or idea that is not true

highlights seeming plausibility despite being factually false
fakery
vsspeciousness
6 6.8

A thing or action made to trick people into thinking it is real

is about the false appearance itself, not the act of faking
truthiness
vsspeciousness
  • Literature
2 8.3

The way something appears to be true even when it is not

is about seeming true but being false or intentionally deceptive
falseness
vsspeciousness
2 5.8

A way of speaking or acting that is not true

centres on the false appearance rather than plain untruthfulness
flimflam
vsspeciousness
  • Archaic
1 9.6

Talk that tries to trick people with false statements

is the serious quality of seeming true rather than playful trickery
deceptiveness
vsspeciousness
1 7.2

A quality that makes something seem true when it is false

adds the idea of seeming plausibly true despite being false
ostensibility
vsspeciousness
9.9

Appearing to be true or real but not always so

emphasizes appearing true while actually being false or deceptive
misleadingness
vsspeciousness
9.0

The quality of making people believe something that is not true

focuses on seeming true specifically while actually being false
spuriousness
vsspeciousness
8.8

The state of being not real or true

adds the specific element of seeming true while actually false
bogusness
vsspeciousness
7.9

The state of being fake and trying to trick people

stresses the convincing appearance of truth rather than mere fakery
factitiousness
vsspeciousness
  • Formal
9.9

A quality of being fake and made to seem real

focuses on seeming true in a way meant to mislead rather than being made
fictitiousness
vsspeciousness
8.5

A quality of being made up and not real that people sometimes use to trick others

specifies a deceptive appearance intended to suggest truth
illusiveness
vsspeciousness
8.6

Hard to find or understand because it seems not real

is specifically about seeming plausibly true while being actually false

Antonyms

13 2.7

Being honest and not telling lies

3 4.0

The state of being real and sincere

How True

truth
1.0
veracity
27 7.6
speciousness
  • Formal
1 9.4
deception
163 3.9
falsehood
46 4.3

Surface Forms

speciousness singular

Morphology

speciousness = specious (transparent) = specious + ness

A regular nominalization of the adjective 'specious' with '-ness' producing the quality or state 'the condition of being specious'.

Etymology

Speciousness comes from the Latin root spec- meaning 'to look', the same root you see in familiar words like spectacle and inspect. So a 'specious' idea 'looks' true or attractive on the surface but is actually false, and speciousness is the quality of that misleading appearance.