Make Your Point: SPURIOUS

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SPURIOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

pronounce SPURIOUS:

SPYURE ee us.

It rhymes with "furious."

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Our word spurious is synonymous with false, faked, phony, bogus, contrived, spe__ous ("convincing at first glance but actually wrong"), and apo___phal ("fully or partly made-up").

Could you recall those last two synonyms?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "spurious" comes from Latin, where it meant "false, illegitimate," as well as "a child born to parents who weren't married."

In English, at first, we used both those meanings.

But today, most of the time, when we call something spurious, we mean it's false or incorrect in a way that deceives or manipulates people.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a spurious claim," "Those rules are spurious at best."

Other forms:

The adverb is "spuriously."

For a noun, you can pick between "spuriousness" and the more whimsical-sounding "spuriosity."

Finally, if you're talking about a whole collection of spurious things, like facts or quotes, you can call them "spuria."

how to use it:

Pick the common, formal, serious, academic-sounding "spurious" when you need to cast doubt on something's origin, or when you need to politely but firmly call something a pile of baloney.

More specifically: A spurious story or anecdote didn't happen. A spurious claim or accusation isn't true. A spurious argument rests on bad logic or incorrect facts. A spurious rule carries no real weight or authority. A spurious quote wasn't actually said or written, at least not the way it's being quoted, or not by the person it's being attributed to. And a spurious correlation doesn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

People's comments and behaviors, too, can be spurious, when it's clear that they're faking them. Here's Ferris Bueller faking sick to skip school, looking spuriously pitiful, and acting spuriously woozy.

(Source)

examples:

"Press releases are the bane of a journalist's existence. You can smell the desperation on them as they vainly fling together all manner of spurious statistics in the frantic hope that someone – anyone – will publicise their film."
— Stuart Heritage, The Guardian, 24 October 2018

"Many spurious rules [of grammar], including some that have made national headlines, are the result of bungled analyses of grammatical categories like adjective, subordinator, and preposition."
— Steven Pinker, The Sense of Style, 2014

has this page helped you understand "spurious"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "spurious" without saying "faked" or "fabricated."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (did something) in a show of spurious (concern, enthusiasm, hesitancy, regret, or other faked emotion)."

Example 1: "She tilted her head and widened her eyes in a show of spurious concern."

Example 2: "She stood in the doorway, a few feet behind him, one hand on the doorknob—a portrait of spurious hesitancy about making another full entrance into the room."
— J. D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey, 1969

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "The Rock & Roll Hall of Game."

It's inspired by a Jeopardy! category called Foodstock.

I'll give you a clue, and you'll try to come up with the tweaked name of a group or solo artist from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, if I give you "They're an American boy band fond of surfing, California, rich vocal harmonies, and helping the Mario Brothers rescue the princess," then you give me "The Peach Boys" (a playful blend of "The Beach Boys" and "Princess Peach" from the Mario games).

Try this one today: These Texans, known for their lavish beards and bluesy guitars, rocked out for over five decades. Surviving members now kick back in tranquil Stardew Valley, tending their various digital potatoes, pumpkins, and green beans.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. Opposites of SPURIOUS include

A. BALD, INTACT, and UNBLEMISHED.
B. WARM, EMBRACIVE, and WELCOMING.
C. ACCURATE, HEARTFELT, and LEGITIMATE.

2. Here's an example of a spurious quote: _____

A. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (Franklin D. Roosevelt).
B. "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious" (Steve Carrell as Michael Scott on "The Office").
C. "A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kickboxing" (Abraham Lincoln).

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SPURIOUS Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to "Make Your Point" for a daily vocabulary boost.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SPURIOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.