It will come as no surprise that fallacious is related to the noun fallacy, meaning “delusion” or “falsehood.” Both words come from the Latin word fallacia, which in turn comes from fallere, meaning “to deceive.” (Other descendants of fallere in English include fail, false, and fault.) FALLACIOUS definition: containing a fallacy; logically unsound. See examples of fallacious used in a sentence. To unquestioningly adhere to traditional policies when there is good reason for change can be regarded as a fallacious appeal to authority.

Understanding the Context

Definition of fallacious adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. 1. Containing or based on a fallacy: a fallacious assumption.

Key Insights

2. Tending to mislead; deceptive: fallacious testimony. Fallacious comes ultimately from the Latin fallax, "deceptive." The word fallacious might describe an intentional deception or a false conclusion coming from bad science or incomplete understanding. Adjective fallacious (comparative more fallacious, superlative most fallacious) Characterized by fallacy; false or mistaken. Synonyms: erroneous, incorrect, wrong; see also Thesaurus: false Antonyms: accurate, correct, true Hyponyms: specious, spurious fallacious, adj.

Final Thoughts

meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary