sophistry

Meaning

1. (historical, uncountable) The actions or arguments of a sophist.
2. (uncountable) Plausible yet fallacious argumentations or reasoning.
3. (countable) An argument that seems plausible, but is fallacious or misleading, especially one devised deliberately to be so; a sophism.

Synonyms

sophism

casuistry

sophistication

quibbling

chicanery

evasion

error in reasoning

fallacy

fraud

hair-splitting

hoax

imposture

play on words

quibble

sham

sophistic

stratagem

trickery

biased argument

biassed argument

specious argument

astuteness

false syllogism

cheating

chicane

deceit

deception

deceptiveness

Translations

σοφιστεία

sophistique

yanıltmaca

safsata

Sophisterei

σοφιστική

sofistlik

sofisticheria

Betrug

Spitzfindigkeit

Arglist

Täuschung

falsches Argument

سوفسطائي

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsɒ.fɪ.stɹi/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: safistre

In summary

From Middle English safistre, soffistre, sofystry, sophestrie, sophestry, sophestrye, sophistre, sophistri, sophistrie, sophistry, sophistrye, sophystrye, from Old French sofisterie, sophistrie and Medieval Latin sophistria, Anglo-Latin sophestria, from Latin sophista, from Ancient Greek σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “wise man”), from σοφίζω (sophízō, “I am wise”), from σοφός (sophós, “wise”), equivalent to sophist + -ry.