This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
ad hominem
[ ad hom-uh-nuhm -nem, ahd‐ ]
/ æd ˈhɒm ə nəm -ˌnɛm, ɑd‐ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
attacking an opponent's character or motives rather than answering the argument or claim.
appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.Compare ad feminam.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of ad hominem
First recorded in 1580–90 for def. 2, and in 1780–90 for def. 1; from Latin: literally, “to the man, to the person,” i.e., to the passions or prejudices or interests of the person
Words nearby ad hominem
adhesive tape, adhibit, ad hoc, ad hockery, adhocracy, ad hominem, adiabat, adiabatic, adiabatic chart, adiactinic, adiadochokinesia
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ad hominem in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ad hominem
ad hominem
/ Latin (æd ˈhɒmɪˌnɛm) /
adjective, adverb
directed against a person rather than against his arguments
based on or appealing to emotion rather than reason
Compare ad remSee also argumentum ad hominem
Word Origin for ad hominem
literally: to the man
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for ad hominem
ad hominem
[ (ad hom-uh-nem, ad hom-uh-nuhm) ]
A Latin expression meaning “to the man.” An ad hominem argument is one that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or substance.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.