specious

Meaning

1. Seemingly well-reasoned, plausible or true, but actually fallacious.
2. Employing fallacious but deceptively plausible arguments; deceitful.
3. Having an attractive appearance intended to generate a favorable response; deceptively attractive.
4. (obsolete) Beautiful, pleasing to look at.

Synonyms

spurious

plausible

meretricious

gilded

illusive

delusive

elusive

elusory

facile

fair

fallacious

fraudulent

hollow

illusory

likely

ostensible

paradoxical

seeming

showy

sophistic

treacherous

tricky

colourable

apparent

fair-faced

catchy

colorable

deceitful

deceptive

Translations

spécieux

especioso

aldatıcı

απατηλός

leer

sahte

specioso

trügerisch

unfundiert

vordergründig

fadenscheinig

schoonschijnend

ευλογοφανής

plausibel

αληθοφανής

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈspiːʃəs/

Etymology

From Middle English speciose, specious, from Anglo-Norman specious, Middle French specieux, and their etymon Latin speciōsus (“good-looking”).