spurious
Americanadjective
-
not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.
- Antonyms:
- genuine
-
Biology. (of two or more parts, plants, etc.) having a similar appearance but a different structure.
-
of illegitimate birth; bastard.
adjective
-
not genuine or real
-
(of a plant part or organ) having the appearance of another part but differing from it in origin, development, or function; false
a spurious fruit
-
(of radiation) produced at an undesired frequency by a transmitter, causing interference, etc
-
rare illegitimate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spurious
1590–1600; < Latin spurius bastard, perhaps < Etruscan; see -ous
Compare meaning
How does spurious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something false or inauthentic is spurious. Don't trust spurious ideas and stories. Spurious statements often are lies, just as a spurious coin is a counterfeit coin — a fake. Anytime you see the word spurious, you're dealing with things that can't be trusted or accepted at face value. A spurious claim is one that's not backed up by the facts. A spurious argument relies on faulty reasoning — and maybe some lies. Politicians often accuse each other of saying things that are spurious and meant to deceive the voters. As long as you're honest, clear, and not trying to trick anyone, nobody can say you're being spurious.
Vocabulary lists containing spurious
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This despite the fact that Sheriff Scheyer promulgated the initial spurious press release.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
That timing control helps researchers focus on periods when genuine scintillation light is most likely to be present while filtering out random background signals and other spurious counts.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
He said the one particular plot point "is revived and resolved in a very spurious and unsatisfying way", adding that "IP exhaustion has set in" on the franchise.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
A spokesperson for Onset said the creditor committee’s claims are “unsupported and baseless and strategically made as part of a spurious scorched-earth litigation tactic to serve their own financial interests in this bankruptcy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
That I should innocently take a bad half-crown of somebody else’s manufacture is reasonable enough; but that I should knowingly reckon the spurious coin of my own make as good money!
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
