Fallacious
hardfuh-LAY-shus
adjective
Definition
Based on a mistaken belief or unsound argument
Examples
“The court rejected the fallacious reasoning in the defense's argument.”
“Popular but fallacious beliefs about nutrition persist despite evidence.”
Categories
GRE Tip
Fallacious is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "specious" or "erroneous" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "sound".
Related GRE Words
specious
Superficially plausible but actually wrong; misleading
disingenuous
Not candid or sincere; pretending to know less than one does
spurious
Not genuine; false or fake
cogent
Clear, logical, and convincing
refute
To prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false
coherent
Logical and consistent; able to speak clearly and logically
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