fallacy
a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.: That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy.
a misleading or unsound argument.
deceptive, misleading, or false nature; erroneousness.
Logic. any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound.
Obsolete. deception.
Origin of fallacy
1Other words for fallacy
Words Nearby fallacy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fallacy in a sentence
They did so, in fact, only hours after the fallacy that the election was stolen had boiled over into a violent assault on the Capitol, one that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
The Republican Party tries to figure out the path forward | Philip Bump | February 2, 2021 | Washington PostHow to avoid logical fallacies and critical-thinking fallacies.
“We Get All Our Great Stuff from Europe — Including Witch Hunting.” (Ep. 446) | Steven D. Levitt | January 7, 2021 | FreakonomicsIt’s a planning fallacy based on screwy positive self-perception.
Your Brain Is Tricking You into Buying the Wrong Gear | Heather Hansman | November 24, 2020 | Outside OnlineThat wrong-headed mental blind spot, the planning fallacy, results in us not preparing sufficiently for contingencies and problems.
It may sound far-fetched, but businesses need to be ready for an election-related disaster | jakemeth | October 29, 2020 | FortuneAs much as marketers would like to control the narrative around their brands doing so is a fallacy.
‘Stop asking for a ‘viral’ anything’: Why Ocean Spray’s successful meme can’t be replicated | Kristina Monllos | October 12, 2020 | Digiday
In fact, what this map really showed was the fallacy of aggregates – and how statistics can mask real cultural shifts.
Every time the thermometer drops, another anti-science politician mocks climate change as a fallacy.
From Snowy Atlanta to Sunny Sochi, It's All About Global Weirding | Scott Bixby | February 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut here he falls victim to a prevalent fallacy: the confusion of means with ends.
Partition Skepticism and the Future of the Peace Process | Avner Inbar, Assaf Sharon | September 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTDespite its patent fallacy, the impact of the “Christian Nation” revisionist history on American attitudes is substantial.
Wasn't I committing the Lump of Labor fallacy, assuming that the jobs that were disappearing meant permanent unemployment?
An underlying fallacy of Socialism is the concept that poverty or at least extreme poverty, can be banished from the world.
The Inhumanity of Socialism | Edward F. AdamsI remark only the fallacy of reasoning from a wide average, to cases necessarily differing greatly from any average.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart MillA fallacy of misobservation may be either negative or positive; either Non-observation or Mal-observation.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart MillBy the last clause I presume is meant, that it is not susceptible of any other proof; for otherwise, there would be no fallacy.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart MillThis is a fallacy of overlooking; or of non-observation, within the intent of our classification.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart Mill
British Dictionary definitions for fallacy
/ (ˈfæləsɪ) /
an incorrect or misleading notion or opinion based on inaccurate facts or invalid reasoning
unsound or invalid reasoning
the tendency to mislead
logic an error in reasoning that renders an argument logically invalid
Origin of fallacy
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for fallacy
A false or mistaken idea based on faulty knowledge or reasoning. For example, kings who have divorced their wives for failing to produce a son have held to the fallacy that a mother determines the sex of a child, when actually the father does. (See sex chromosomes.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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