YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

spurious

Adjective

IPA /ˈspjʊəriəs/

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Meaning in plain English

Appearing genuine or true but actually being false or lacking a sound basis.

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Pronunciation

spurious/ˈspjʊəriəs/

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A seller makes impressive claims
The claims do not withstand checking
Their apparent truth is false

Spurious claims seem credible but lack a genuine basis.

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Examples in context

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The seller used spurious claims to make the old watch seem valuable.
The report rejected the spurious argument that attendance alone guaranteed learning.

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The seller used ________ claims to make the old watch seem valuable.

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spurious — Appearing genuine or true but actually being false or lacking a sound basis.

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Appearing genuine or true but actually being false or lacking a sound basis.

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Word origin

From Latin spurius, meaning false, with the adjective ending -ous.

Did you know?

Spurious commonly describes a claim, argument, impression or reason.

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