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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM specious

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH specious

specie species specious

Words nearby specious

specificity, specify, specimen, specimen plant, speciosity, specious, specious present, speck, speckle, speckle interferometry, speckle pattern
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to speciously

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

Example sentences 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 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