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GRE vocabulary

specious

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore S words

seemingly plausible but actually false or misleading

Word origin: From Latin speciosus, fair in appearance.

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In a sentence

Specious in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing specious in a sentence.

His specious argument crumbled under closer examination.

The proposal rested on a specious analogy that fell apart as soon as the figures were examined.

Synonyms
misleadingdeceptivespurious
Antonyms
validgenuine

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

Although she had every reason to gloat after the verdict, the attorney remained blank, accepting the win without a hint of boastfulness.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “specious” well

Specious describes something that seems plausible or attractive on the surface but is actually false or misleading. The deceptive appearance of soundness is the key idea.

Common questions

Questions about “specious”

Specious (adjective) means seemingly plausible but actually false or misleading
Here is specious used in an example sentence: "His specious argument crumbled under closer examination." Another example: "The proposal rested on a specious analogy that fell apart as soon as the figures were examined."
Common synonyms for specious include misleading, deceptive, spurious.
Antonyms of specious include valid, genuine.
Clusters with misleading, deceptive, and spurious in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms valid and genuine mark the opposite; note the related sophistry, which names specious reasoning.
Yes. Specious is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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