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casuistry

[ kazh-oo-uh-stree ]
/ ˈkæʒ u ə stri /
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noun, plural cas·u·ist·ries.

specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, especially in questions of morality; fallacious or dishonest application of general principles; sophistry.
the application of general ethical principles to particular cases of conscience or conduct.

RELATED WORDS

lie, chicanery, deception, evasion, delusion, trick, equivocation, sophistry, speciousness, sophism, fallacy, deceptiveness

Nearby words

  1. casualty insurance,
  2. casualwear,
  3. casuarina,
  4. casuist,
  5. casuistic,
  6. casus belli,
  7. cat,
  8. cat and mouse,
  9. cat brier,
  10. cat burglar

Origin of casuistry

First recorded in 1715–25; casuist + -ry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for casuistry

British Dictionary definitions for casuistry

casuistry

/ (ˈkæzjʊɪstrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

philosophy the resolution of particular moral dilemmas, esp those arising from conflicting general moral rules, by careful distinction of the cases to which these rules apply
reasoning that is specious, misleading, or oversubtle
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