fallacy — fallacy, sophism, sophistry, casuistry are comparable when meaning unsound and misleading reasoning or line of argument. The same distinctions in implications and connotations are distinguishable in the corresponding adjectives fallacious,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Fallacy — Fal la*cy (f[a^]l l[.a]*s[y^]), n.; pl. {Fallacies} (f[a^]l l[.a]*s[i^]z). [OE. fallace, fallas, deception, F. fallace, fr. L. fallacia, fr. fallax deceitful, deceptive, fr. fallere to deceive. See {Fail}.] 1. Deceptive or false appearance;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fallacy — [fal′ə sē] n. pl. fallacies [ME fallace < OFr < L fallacia, deception, artifice < fallax (gen. fallacis), deceitful < fallere, to deceive: see FAIL] 1. Obs. deception 2. aptness to mislead; deceptive or delusive quality [the fallacy… … English World dictionary
fallacy — I noun captio, deception, deceptive belief, delusion, deviation from truth, distortion, erroneous reasoning, erroneousness, error, fallacious argument, false appearance, falseness, falsity, faultiness, faulty reasoning, flaw in reasoning,… … Law dictionary
fallacy — [n] illusion, misconception aberration, ambiguity, artifice, bias, casuistry, cavil, deceit, deception, deceptiveness, delusion, deviation, elusion, equivocation, erratum, erroneousness, error, evasion, falsehood, faultiness, flaw, heresy,… … New thesaurus
fallacy — ► NOUN (pl. fallacies) 1) a mistaken belief. 2) a failure in reasoning which makes an argument invalid. DERIVATIVES fallacious adjective. ORIGIN Latin fallacia, from fallere deceive … English terms dictionary
Fallacy — In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is usually incorrect argumentation in reasoning resulting in a misconception or presumption. By accident or design, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener or interlocutor (appeal to emotion), or… … Wikipedia
fallacy — /fal euh see/, n., pl. fallacies. 1. a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.: That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy. 2. a misleading or unsound argument. 3. deceptive, misleading, or false nature; erroneousness.… … Universalium
fallacy — n. 1) a fallacy to + int. (it s a fallacy to assume that he will help) 2) a fallacy that (it s a fallacy that all politicians are corrupt) * * * [ fæləsɪ] a fallacy that (it s a fallacy) that all politicians are corrupt a fallacy to + inf. (it s… … Combinatory dictionary
fallacy — Synonyms and related words: Albigensianism, Arianism, Catharism, Ebionitism, Erastianism, Gnosticism, Jovinianism, Lollardy, Manichaeanism, Manichaeism, Monophysism, Monophysitism, Pelagianism, Waldensianism, Wyclifism, aberrancy, aberration,… … Moby Thesaurus