pseudoscience

American  

[soo-doh-sahy-uhns] / ˌsu doʊˈsaɪ əns /

noun

1. any of various methods, theories, or systems, as astrology, psychokinesis, or clairvoyance, considered as having no scientific basis.

---

pseudoscience British  

/ ˌsjuːdəʊˈsaɪəns /

noun

1. a discipline or approach that pretends to be or has a close resemblance to science

---

pseudoscience Cultural  

1. A system of theories or assertions about the natural world that claim or appear to be scientific but that, in fact, are not. For example, astronomy is a science, but astrology is generally viewed as a pseudoscience.

---

Other Word Forms

• pseudoscientific adjective
• pseudoscientifically adverb
• pseudoscientist noun

Etymology

Origin of pseudoscience

First recorded in 1835–45; pseudo- + science

Example Sentences

“Most of this stuff is approximations. And it’s almost like pseudoscience in a way.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

As I listened, I did not dwell on the fact that the same man is routinely accused of shilling for supplements based on pseudoscience, promoting shaky science, and sowing distrust of evidence-backed medicine.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2026

In the early ‘90s, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe, who were credited with coining the term “millennials,” took generational labels deep into the realm of pseudoscience.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

Other Grokipedia articles cite American and Indian right-wing media outlets, Chinese and Iranian state media, anti-immigration, antisemitic or anti-Muslim sites, and portals accused of promoting pseudoscience and conspiracy theories, the report said.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

How pallid by comparison are the pretensions of superstition and pseudoscience; how important it is for us to pursue and understand science, that characteristically human endeavor.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan