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
100 Top "SAT" Words
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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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.
Spurious claims on the estate, he said, are also likely to start coming out of the woodwork.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2023
Spurious precision adds to a false sense of certainty.
From Nature • Jun. 23, 2020
Spurious rumours matter not, however: through years of turbulence and triumph she has rightly achieved her status as an official Feminist Role Model.
From The Guardian • May 14, 2015
Spurious correlations, outliers and other false alarms are among the inevitable risks when the research community lays its hands on a rich new data set.
From Economist • Jun. 27, 2012
The search for it was also made by the philosophers and priests in the Mysteries of the Spurious Freemasonry.
From The Symbolism of Freemasonry by Mackey, Albert G.
Definitions 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.
