specious

[ spee-shuhs ]

/ ˈspi ʃəs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR specious 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.

Words nearby specious

specificity, specify, specimen, specimen plant, speciosity, specious, specious present, speck, speckle, speckle interferometry, speckle pattern

Origin of specious

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin speciōsus fair, good-looking, beautiful, equivalent to speci(ēs) (see species) + -ōsus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR specious

1 See plausible.

2 false, misleading.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR specious ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR specious

1, 2 genuine.

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OTHER WORDS FROM specious

spe·cious·ly, adverbspe·cious·ness, nounnon·spe·cious, adjectivenon·spe·cious·ly, adverb

non·spe·cious·ness, nounun·spe·cious, adjectiveun·spe·cious·ly, adverbun·spe·cious·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH specious

specie species specious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for speciously

In fact, upon the neutral fact of evolution a theory of pessimism may be built up as speciously as a theory of optimism.
The Idea of Progress|J. B. Bury
You notified the police, speciously directing suspicion to—the ex-convict in the bank's employ.
The Adventures of Jimmie Dale|Frank L. Packard
Seffy was speciously savage now—as any successful wooer might be.
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume II. (of X.)|Various
These notions, imperfectly understood and speciously interpreted, are by many regarded as furnishing a sanction for war.
The Forerunners|Romain Rolland

In England all men spoke one tongue, speciously like American to the ear, but on cross-examination unintelligible.
Actions and Reactions|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for speciously

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 speciōsus 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