intentional fallacy

[ in-ten-shuh-nl fal-uh-see ]

noun
  1. (in literary criticism) an assertion that the intended meaning of the author is not the only or most important meaning; a fallacy involving an assessment of a literary work based on the author's intended meaning rather than on actual response to the work.

Origin of intentional fallacy

1
First recorded in 1945–50
  • Also called in·ten·tion·al·ism [in-ten-shuh-nl-iz-uhm] /ɪnˈtɛn ʃə nlˌɪz əm/

Words Nearby intentional fallacy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024