spurious

[ spyoor-ee-uhs ]

/ ˈspyʊər i əs /

adjective

not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.

Biology. (of two or more parts, plants, etc.) having a similar appearance but a different structure.

of illegitimate birth; bastard.

Nearby words

Origin of spurious

1590–1600; < Latin spurius bastard, perhaps < Etruscan; see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR spurious

1. false, sham, bogus, mock, feigned, phony; meretricious, deceitful.

ANTONYMS FOR spurious

1. genuine.

Related forms

spu·ri·ous·ly, adverbspu·ri·ous·ness, nounnon·spu·ri·ous, adjectivenon·spu·ri·ous·ly, adverb

non·spu·ri·ous·ness, nounun·spu·ri·ous, adjectiveun·spu·ri·ous·ly, adverbun·spu·ri·ous·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for spuriously

Capsule not lobed, mostly 5-valved, spuriously 10-celled, 10-seeded.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
She admitted that clandestine and spuriously accidental meetings were wrong.
Double Harness|Anthony Hope
Their ideas of position and privilege were all spuriously European.
The High Heart|Basil King
Charles was determinedly "sincere" throughout the brief call, continuously and spuriously hearty.
Angela's Business|Henry Sydnor Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for spuriously

spurious

/ (ˈspjʊərɪəs) /

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; falsea spurious fruit

(of radiation) produced at an undesired frequency by a transmitter, causing interference, etc

rare illegitimate

Derived Formsspuriously, adverbspuriousness, noun

Word Origin for spurious

C17: from Latin spurius of illegitimate birth

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 spuriously

spurious

adj.

1590s, "born out of wedlock," from Latin spurius "illegitimate, false" (cf. Italian spurio, Spanish espurio), from spurius (n.) "illegitimate child," probably from Etruscan spural "public." Sense of "having an irregular origin, not properly constituted" is from c.1600; that of "false, sham" is from 1610s.

Medicine definitions for spuriously

spurious

[ spyur′ē-əs ]

adj.

Similar in appearance or symptoms but unrelated in morphology or pathology; false.