sophism

soph·ism  (sfzm)

n.

1. A plausible but fallacious argument.

2. Deceptive or fallacious argumentation.

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[Middle English sophime, sophisme, from Old French sophime, from Latin sophisma, from Greek, from sophizesthai, to be subtle, from sophos, clever, wise.]

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sophism

Noun

an argument that seems reasonable but is actually false and misleading [Greek sophisma ingenious trick]

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sophism

1. a specious argument for displaying ingenuity in reasoning or for deceiving someone.
2. any false argument or fallacy. — sophister, n. — sophistic, adj.

See also: Argumentation

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

sophism - a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone sophistry, sophistication fallacy, false belief - a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning