1
as in delusion
a false idea or belief
the once-common fallacy that girls just weren't any good at math
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deception
the quality or state of being false
the fallacy of the notion of spontaneous generation was demonstrated by the Dutch naturalist Leeuwenhoek
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fallacy
The Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker has had much to say about Whorfian fallacies.
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Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Susan Faludi’s 1991 book, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against America’s Women, was premised on the fallacy, expressed repeatedly in the American media of the time, that feminism’s fights had by that point been, essentially, won.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
Ultimately, this might not be that intelligent and certainly would not surpass our own human fallacies in that regard but rather aggravate them—becoming, therefore, the antithesis of being beneficial to humanity.
—Hamilton Mann, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Landman, set in the oil fields of West Texas, is punctuated by extensive diatribes from Tommy about the oil industry’s importance, the tragic necessity of landmen and roughnecks, and the fallacy of placing society’s hope on renewable energy.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fallacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallacy
Noun
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The story is a grim reminder that every narcissist needs their own Echo, a loyal admirer who reinforces their delusions and self-importance.—
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In fact, on several prior occasions, Lam had dealt with hallucinations and delusions after not taking her medications.—
Noun
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Tacopina recently appeared on The Breakfast Club to break down key elements of the defense’s strategy in proving Rocky’s innocence, and the plaintiff’s, A$AP Relli, lies and deception.—
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Today the art world is reeling over not just her deception, but also the stain Ms. Schiff has left on the largely unregulated business of art advising.—
Noun
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The myth that breast pain can't be a sign of cancer is persistent.—
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Entrepreneurship Brings Freedom One myth is that entrepreneurship brings freedom.—
Noun
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But the employee also explained that the recent layoffs will reduce the agency’s ability to defend against IT or security errors, on top of diminishing morale.—
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And that’s before factoring in an error in the data published on DOGE’s website that mislabels a contract as $8 billion, which was later corrected in the federal database to only be $8 million.—
Noun
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Again and again, the fantasies that fueled Trump’s candidacy are colliding with the reality of his presidency, and the result is already dispelling the illusions of many who advocated for him.—
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The panic party was a dangerous gamble designed to support the illusion that a ship had been abandoned.—
Noun
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Perhaps most critically, AI hallucinations can introduce inaccuracies or falsehoods at scale, a phenomenon that can rapidly degrade trust in an era already vulnerable to misinformation.—
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He's been criticized for spreading misinformation Misinformation experts say Bongino has used his platform to spread conspiracy theories and falsehoods, including about the Mueller investigation, the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump's 2020 election loss.—
Cite this Entry
“Fallacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacy. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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