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definitions

specious

[ spee-shuhs ]
/ ˈspi ʃəs /
||
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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

  1. specifics,
  2. specify,
  3. specimen,
  4. specimen plant,
  5. speciosity,
  6. specious present,
  7. speciously,
  8. speck,
  9. speckedness,
  10. speckle

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.
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ANTONYMS FOR specious
1, 2. genuine.
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Related forms
Can be confusedspecie 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 Formsspeciously, 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
Word Origin and History for speciously

specious

adj.

c.1400, "pleasing to the sight, fair," from Latin speciosus "good-looking, beautiful," from species "appearance" (see species). Meaning "seemingly desirable, reasonable or probable, but not really so" is first recorded 1610s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper