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Meanings of specious in English

Based on pretense; deceptively pleasing.

Related terms

Plausible but false.

Related terms
Usage of specious in English
1
It was specious-whichis the best that can be said for it.
The Life of Cesare Borgia
2
He would be put on the sacrificial altar for that specious truth.
Rakes and radishes
3
His demand of the supreme authority was evaded on some specious pretext.
The History of the Thirty Years' War
4
Drawing specious connections isn't just for musicians, but music journos as well.
Wired
5
His reasoning is specious, but beneath the sophistry there is a plan.
Anthropology of an american girl: a novel
6
This reason which they display we have above removed as especially specious.
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
7
A specious Syllogism that is not really valid is called a Parasyllogism.
Logic: Deductive and Inductive
8
Even then the real reasons for holding the women can be specious.
The Guardian
9
Adverse appearances might be numerous and specious, but they were unquestionably false.
Wieland; Or, The Transformation: An American Tale
10
He is blinding you-weavinga bandage of specious words across your eyes.
The Mystics: A Novel
11
Under a specious, smiling countenance you all conceal a heart of gall.
Imogen: A Pastoral Romance
12
Her pulses beat wildly, but she forced herself to a specious calmness.
The Gray Dawn
13
But Powers was not a man to be misled by specious appearances.
Primitive Love and Love-Stories
14
But so specious a piece of special pleading cannot serve Clive's turn.
A History of the Four Georges, Volume II
15
He courted power by nobler, or, at least, by more specious arts.
History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1
16
Yet though Abdiel's intentions were undeniably good, his argument is rather specious.
Harvard Classics Volume 28 / Essays English and American
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More collocations
Specious through the time
Specious across language varieties
United Kingdom
Common
United States of America
Less common