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specious

[ spee-shuhs ]
/ ˈspi ʃəs /
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See synonyms for: specious / speciously / speciousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible: specious arguments.
pleasing to the eye but deceptive.
Obsolete. pleasing to the eye; fair.

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Origin of specious

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin speciƍsus “fair, good-looking, beautiful,” equivalent to speci(ēs) (see species) + -ƍsus adjective suffix; see -ous

synonym study for specious

1. See plausible.

OTHER WORDS FROM specious

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH specious

species, specious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use specious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for specious

specious
/ (ˈspiːʃəs) /

adjective
apparently correct or true, but actually wrong or false
deceptively attractive in appearance

Derived forms of specious

speciously, adverbspeciousness, noun

Word Origin for specious

C14 (originally: fair): from Latin speciƍsus plausible, from speciēs outward appearance, from specere to look at
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
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