specious

[spee-shuh s] /ˈspi ʃəs/

adjective

apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible:

specious arguments.

pleasing to the eye but deceptive.

Obsolete. pleasing to the eye; fair.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English < Latin speciōsus fair, good-looking, beautiful, equivalent to speci(ēs) (see species) + -ōsus -ous

Related forms

speciously, adverb

speciousness, noun

nonspecious, adjective

nonspeciously, adverb

nonspeciousness, noun

unspecious, adjective

unspeciously, adverb

unspeciousness, noun

Can be confused

specie, species, specious.

Synonyms

1. See plausible. 2. false, misleading.

Antonyms

1, 2. genuine.

Examples from the web for specious

His arguments and specious comparisons are bogus and not worth seriously entertaining, in my humble opinion.
In these speeches he frequently bears the aspect of a specious demagogue.
True humility alone could discover the snare which lurked under the specious gloss of holy charity.
Comparing home prices to gold over time comes across to me as a bit specious.
Besides, the claim that cattle on rough grazing land actually displaces crops is specious.
It is a specious argument that something must be done, this is something therefore it should be done.
The argument that people will not produce if they get taxed more is specious.
The idea that shooting some wolves will automatically bolster prey population is specious.
Not only has she continued to refuse, on insultingly specious grounds, to appoint an independent counsel.
The notion that games are popular purely because of their violence always struck me as specious.

British Dictionary definitions for specious

specious

/ˈspiːʃəs/

adjective

apparently correct or true, but actually wrong or false

deceptively attractive in appearance

Derived Forms

speciously, adverb
speciousness, noun

Word Origin

C14 (originally: fair): from Latin speciōsus plausible, from speciēs outward appearance, from specere to look at

Contemporary definitions for specious

adjective

showily beautiful or attractive

Word Origin

Latin specissus 'beautiful, plausible'

adjective

plausible but not true; based on pretense; sophistic

Word Origin

Latin specissus 'beautiful, plausible'

Word Origin and History for specious

adj.

c.1400, "pleasing to the sight, fair," from Latin speciosus "good-looking, beautiful," from species "appearance" (see species). Meaning "seemingly desirable, reasonable or probable, but not really so" is first recorded 1610s.