syllogistic

[ sil-uh-jis-tik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a syllogism.
2. like or consisting of syllogisms.

noun

1. the part of logic that deals with syllogisms.
2. syllogistic reasoning.

Other Words From

• syllo·gisti·cal·ly adverb
• nonsyl·lo·gistic noun adjective
• nonsyl·lo·gisti·cal adjective
• nonsyl·lo·gisti·cal·ly adverb
• unsyl·lo·gistic adjective
• unsyl·lo·gisti·cal adjective
• unsyl·lo·gisti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of syllogistic¹

1660–70; < Latin syllogisticus < Greek syllogistikós, equivalent to syllogist ( ós ), verbid of syllogízesthai ( syllogize ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

The court simply assumes it away with the syllogistic reasoning that Alabama’s statutory law specifies that human life includes “unborn” life.

From Los Angeles Times

Aristotelian philosophers thought that all true knowledge could be expressed in syllogistic form, arguing from indisputable premises to undeniable conclusions, all based on Evidence-Perspicuity.

From Literature

On October 22, 1962, the syllogistic nature of this sentence seemed to impress me as much as the possibility it discussed.

From The New Yorker

He once told an interviewer, with syllogistic bluntness, “If I was an artist and I was in the studio, then whatever I was doing in the studio must be art.”

From New York Times

Try having a conversation with a liberal progressive about GMOs—genetically modified organisms—in which the words “Monsanto” and “profit” are not dropped like syllogistic bombs.

From Scientific American