1 July 2016
specious
[spee-shuh s]
adjective
1. apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible:
specious arguments.
2. pleasing to the eye but deceptive.
3. Obsolete. pleasing to the eye; fair.
Origin of specious
Middle English, Latin
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
Can be confused
specie, species, specious.
Synonyms
1. See plausible. 2. false, misleading.
Antonyms
1, 2. genuine.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for specious
Contemporary Examples
Resist the easy comforts of complacency, the specious glitter of materialism, the narcotic paralysis of self-satisfaction.
David McCullough at Wellesley Commencement: ‘You Are Not Special’ (Video)
The Daily Beast
June 8, 2012
While the public gasped at this specious statement, the defense took over for cross examination.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man
John Lardner
May 16, 2014
I can only conclude that this reasoning is specious at best, for none can see the future of paths we do not take.
War Is the New Peace: American Vets Reflect on Syria
John Kael Weston
September 9, 2013
Anagram
ice soups
copies us
us so epic
i scope us
Today’s quote
The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.
– George Orwell
On this day
1 July 1862 – founding of the Russian State Library in Moscow. It is the fourth largest library in the world. It has 275km of shelves, 17.5 million books, 13 million journals, 350,000 music scores and sound records, 150,000 maps.
1 July 1921 – founding of the Communist Party of China.
1 July 1943 – Tokyo City is officially dissolved following its merger with the Tokyo Prefecture. Since then no Japanese city has been named Tokyo. Modern-day Tokyo is not officially a city, instead it is a prefecture consisting of 23 wards, 26 cities, five towns and eight villages.
1 July 1961 – birth of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. Died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.
1 July 1963 – ZIP codes introduced for United States mail.
1 July 1978 – Australia’s Northern Territory is granted self-government.
1 July 2002 – establishment of the International Criminal Court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war-crimes and the crime of aggression.