Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FALLACIOUS
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pronounce
FALLACIOUS:
Say it "fuh LAY shuss."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Now seems like a good moment to mention that in Belgium, you can see this hilarious statue of a guy popping out of a manhole to trip a policeman.
I mention that because in Latin, fallere means "to make someone trip or fall," or less literally, "to trick, to deceive, to fail, to disappoint, or to be defective"--so,
when you see words like fallacious, fail, false, fault, and fall____ ("imperfect: capable of making a mistake"), you'll know that they trace back to a word that literally means "to trip someone."
Which is pretty funny. And pretty appropriate, because fallacies and fallacious thoughts trip us all up from time to time.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
You can trace the words "fallacy" and "fallacious" back to the Latin fallere, which in this case means "to trick, to deceive."
A fallacy (pronounced "FAL uh see") is a claim or an argument that can trick or mislead people, because it's based on bad logic. A fallacy can also be an error or mistake in someone's line of thinking.
To put it another way, a fallacy is some thought, idea, or statement that doesn't hold true because it doesn't make good sense. Let's say I ate a banana at breakfast, and thirty minutes later, I got a headache. It would be a fallacy for me to say "Bananas cause headaches." You could even get more specific and call that a "correlation fallacy." There are oodles of other specific kinds of fallacies, such as the bandwagon fallacy (assuming that something must be great if a lot of people like it), and the false dichotomy fallacy (assuming that only two possibilities exist in some situation).
So, something fallacious is untrue, unconvincing, or deceptive because the reasoning behind it is bad or weak.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a fallacious claim;" "That assumption is fallacious."
Other forms:
The adverb is "fallaciously."
For a noun meaning "a fallacious idea," use "fallacy" (with the plural "fallacies"). But if you need a noun for "the quality of being fallacious," use "fallaciousness."
how to use it:
Pick the formal, semi-common word "fallacious" to label things that are untrue because they're based on bad logic and/or scanty information.
Talk about fallacious claims, arguments, ideas, beliefs, reasoning, or logic; or about fallacious information, fallacious reports, predictions, conclusions, associations, comparisons, etc.
The tone of this word is negative, but its intensity varies. You might use it in anger: "Shame on this company for misleading young consumers with these fallacious claims." Or not: "Divorce rates and margarine consumption both declined, but it would be fallacious to praise butter for saving marriages." Basically, if you call something fallacious, you may or may not also be saying that it's idiotic and/or harmful on top of being incorrect and illogical. If you prefer a stronger word, one that more firmly labels some idea as maliciously deceptive, you might pick "sophistry."
examples:
"Calling logging restoration is really fallacious. It isn't restoration."
— Gary Macfarlane, as quoted in the Associated Press, 23 April 2017
"Critical thinkers are amiable skeptics. They are flexible thinkers who require evidence to support their beliefs and recognize fallacious attempts to persuade them."
— Heather A. Butler, Scientific American, 3 October 2017
has this page helped you understand "fallacious"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "fallacious" without saying "misleading" or "unfounded."
try it out:
Check out Wikipedia's list of informal fallacies.
Which fallacy bugs you the most, and why?
I think I'm bugged the most by the divine fallacy, a.k.a. the argument from incredulity. The one that seems to say, "Well, I don't know how this works, so nobody, ever, will know how this works." It's fallacious and weirdly arrogant!
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 this month is Crossword Clues: Defining by Rhyming!
Check out the given term, and try to complete the definition by supplying a missing rhyming word. For example, if I give you "bevy = _ _ _ _ herd," then you give me "bird," because a bevy is a bird herd. To peek at the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
zephyr = soft _ _ _ _
review this word:
1.
The opposite of FALLACIOUS could be
A. THIN, SHAKY, or UNCONVINCING.
B. ROBUST, PROLIFIC, or FLOURISHING.
C. SOUND, ACCURATE, or WELL-REASONED.
2.
When the Gorillaz sing "Rhythm, you have it or you don't; that's a fallacy," they probably mean that _____.
A. it's a terrible shame that some people have no rhythm
B. it's misleading to claim that people either have rhythm or don't, since it can be learned
C. it's such an obvious fact that some people have no rhythm that it's not even necessary to say so
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:
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36 ways to study words.
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How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
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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.
Now seems like a good moment to mention that in Belgium, you can see this hilarious statue of a guy popping out of a manhole to trip a policeman.
You can trace the words "fallacy" and "fallacious" back to the Latin fallere, which in this case means "to trick, to deceive."
Part of speech:
Pick the formal, semi-common word "fallacious" to label things that are untrue because they're based on bad logic and/or scanty information.
"Calling logging restoration is really fallacious. It isn't restoration."
Explain the meaning of "fallacious" without saying "misleading" or "unfounded."
Check out Wikipedia's list of informal fallacies.
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.
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. |