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.

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pseudoscience British  

/ ˌsjuːdəʊˈsaɪəns /

noun

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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

• pseudoscientific adjective
• pseudoscientifically adverb
• pseudoscientist noun

Etymology

Origin of pseudoscience

First recorded in 1835–45; pseudo- + science

Example Sentences

"The US Top Secret-cleared aerospace and nuclear workforce is ~700,000 people," science writer, investigator and pseudoscience debunker Mick West wrote on 16 April on his Substack.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The terms “highbrow” and “lowbrow” derived from the 19th-century pseudoscience of phrenology, and the former was first popularized by a New York Sun reporter around 1902, to be quickly followed by the latter.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

For his part, Gassan admitted that live blood analysis is considered pseudoscience in some countries.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

‘We acted like we know all these answers, but actually we don’t. Most of this stuff is approximations. And it’s almost like pseudoscience in a way.’

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Among other things, this meant rooting out pseudoscience.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann