definitions

specious

[ spee-shuhs ]
/ ˈspi ʃəs /
||
SEE MORE 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.

RELATED WORDS

ostensibly, probably, supposedly, allegedly, possibly, evidently, externally, outwardly, reasonably, superficially, intuitively, plausibly, professedly, reputably, seemingly, tangibly

Nearby words

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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR specious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

Can be confused

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

Examples from the Web for speciously

British Dictionary definitions for speciously

specious

/ (ˈspiːʃəs) /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

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