Definition

The quality of seeming to be true or correct but actually being false or misleading.

Example

The speciousness of his argument was evident to everyone in the debate.

Conversation

Have you ever noticed the speciousness in some arguments people make?

Yeah, it’s surprising how often that happens in debates.

Right? It feels like they’re trying to sound smart without any real substance.

Exactly! It’s frustrating when people fall for that kind of reasoning.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Speciousness → It is formed from "specious" (from Latin "speciosus", meaning attractive or plausible but misleading) and the suffix "-ness" (meaning the state or quality of). The word "speciousness" refers to the quality of being deceptively attractive or seemingly plausible but actually false.

Memory Tip

Think of 'specious' meaning something that looks good or plausible but is misleading, and '-ness' indicating a state. This helps you remember that 'speciousness' refers to the quality of being misleadingly attractive.

Visually Confused Words