sophistic

[ suh-fis-tik ]

adjective

1. of the nature of sophistry; fallacious.
2. characteristic or suggestive of sophistry.
3. given to the use of sophistry.
4. of or relating to sophists or sophistry.

sophistic

/ səˈfɪstɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to sophists or sophistry
2. consisting of sophisms or sophistry; specious

Derived Forms

• soˈphistically, adverb

Other Words From

• so·phis·ti·cal·ly adverb
• so·phis·ti·cal·ness noun
• an·ti·so·phis·tic adjective
• non·so·phis·tic adjective
• non·so·phis·ti·cal adjective
• non·so·phis·ti·cal·ly adverb
• non·so·phis·ti·cal·ness noun
• un·so·phis·tic adjective
• un·so·phis·ti·cal adjective
• un·so·phis·ti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sophistic¹

1540–50; < Latin sophisticus < Greek sophistikós, equivalent to sophist ( ḗs ) ( sophist ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

It’s a kind of sophistic logic, suggesting that a White person can’t be racist if they have once helped a Black person, he said.

From Washington Post

“Lying flat is my sophistic movement,” he wrote, referring to the Greek philosopher Diogenes, who was known for living in a barrel.

From Washington Post

These policies have caused Facebook employees to push back against Zuckerberg's policies, including staging a virtual walkout in June to protest the company allowing Trump's violent and sophistic posts to remain on their site.

From Salon

Earlier this month dozens of telecommuting Facebook employees staged a virtual walkout to oppose CEO Mark Zuckerberg's refusal to take a strong stance against the racist, violent and sophistic content posted by President Donald Trump.

From Salon

Zuckerberg's attitude towards the role of social media in serving as an arbiter of truth differs from his peers at Snapchat and, recently, Twitter, which made an about-face in its policies around Trump's sophistic tweets.

From Salon