specious
/ˈspiːʃəs/
Meanings
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Adjective
Deceptively attractive or appealing, often in a misleading way.
- "The salesman's specious arguments convinced many customers to buy the faulty product."
- "The politician's specious promises were later proven to be false."
Pronunciation
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/ˈspiːʃəs/
Source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2526731"
Synonyms
fallacious , insincere , meretricious , pretextual
Rhymes
Words rhyming with speciousprepositions , positions , oppositions
Variants
List of all variants of specious that leads to same resultspecious , speciously , speciousness , speciousnesses
Etymology
origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.From Latin 'speciosus' meaning 'ornamented' or 'decorated'.
Trivia
Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word-
The term 'specious' is related to the word 'specialize'. Both words come from the Latin 'speciosus', meaning 'ornamented' or 'decorated'.
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In mathematics, a specious argument is a proof that looks valid on the surface but is actually incorrect.
Related Concepts
informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to-
Fallacy: A specious argument is a type of logical fallacy where an argument appears to be valid on the surface, but is actually misleading or false.
Quotes
Quotes by authors and personalities-
By and large, they made these changes with "specious" explanations or no explanation at all. Today, when curricula list rhetoric as a subject, it usually means simply the study of how to write effectively.
- Walter J. Ong,{it}Orality and Literacy{/it},(1982) 2002 -
Forty years ago I was not yet thirty, and my father still held to the hope that I would come to my senses, abandon the practice of journalism, and follow a career in one of the Wall Street money trades. As a young man during the Great Depression he had labored briefly as a city-room reporter for William Randolph Hearst's {it}San Francisco Examiner{/it}, and he knew that the game was poorly paid and usually rigged, more often than not a matter of converting "specious" rumor into dubious fact.
- Lewis H. Lapham,{it}Harper's{/it},February 2004 -
One must always guard the interests of one's constituency in the public forum even when its claims are weak or perhaps "specious", lest one's opponents steal the march in the never-ending battle for resources or public support.
- Robert Jackall et al.,{it}Image Makers{/it},2000
Culture
Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.The term 'specious' has been used in various literary works to describe deceptive situations or characters. For example, in Shakespeare's 'Othello', Iago uses specious reasoning to manipulate Othello's jealousy.
How to Memorize "specious"
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visualize
- Visualize a salesman trying to sell a faulty product using attractive but misleading arguments.
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associate
- Associate the word 'specious' with the idea of something deceptively attractive or appealing.
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mnemonics
- Use the acronym S.P.E.C.I.O.U.S. to remember the meaning: 'Specious' is an adjective meaning 'Deceptively attractive or appealing'.
Memorize "specious" using Dictozo
The best and recommended way to memorize specious is, by using Dictozo. Just save the word in Dictozo extension and let the app handle the rest. It enhances the memorization process in two ways:
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Highlighting:
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