special pleading

noun

1. Law. pleading that alleges special or new matter in avoidance of the allegations made by the opposite side.
2. pleading or arguing that ignores unfavorable features of a case.

special pleading

noun

1. a pleading that alleges new facts that offset those put forward by the other side rather than directly admitting or denying those facts
2. a pleading that emphasizes the favourable aspects of a case while omitting the unfavourable

Word History and Origins

Origin of special pleading¹

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

If the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States has taken on an air of special pleading in recent weeks, it is because Britain, rock solid in its support for Ukraine, now views its role as bucking up an ally for whom aid to the embattled country has become a political obstacle course.

From New York Times

“We’re here defending democracy. I found the special pleading for sportsmen quite sickening.”

From Washington Times

“We’re here defending democracy. I found the special pleading for sportsmen quite sickening.”

From Seattle Times

British director Steve McQueen, working from a screenplay by John Ridley, has no intention of making audiences the slightest bit comfortable with this terrible story, no interest in putting in any special pleading to bend our hearts.

From Los Angeles Times

Kaplan reads the central argument of “A Summary View” as simultaneously specious and persuasive, the former because it is filled with “historical inaccuracy and special pleading” and because its author is unwilling to acknowledge any counterargument; the latter because of its “no-holds-barred emotional intensity, its … inventiveness in combining feeling, argument, language, and ideology.”

From Washington Post