sophistry

noun

Definition of sophistrynext
as in ambiguity
reasoning or arguments that sound correct but are actually false She said that many of the points made during the debate were pure sophistry.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sophistry Fascism creates a world of artifice and sophistry. — Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026 All of whom flock to Monsignor Wicks, drawn by his sophistry and fearsome bully-pulpit magnetism. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025 Most contemporary observers would have regarded this as misguided sophistry. — Fara Dabhoiwala, Harpers Magazine, 4 June 2025 And if Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta try to point it out before Manchester City faces Arsenal on Sunday, it will be viewed as gamesmanship, or deflection, or unapologetic sophistry. — Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for sophistry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophistry
  1. ambiguity
  2. deception
  3. deceptiveness
  4. fiction
Noun
  • That ambiguity is echoed in Banks’ score, which takes on the tone of a lament and a celebration, frustration and hope, struggle and liberation, the quest for transcendence in the face of the challenges posed by daunting inequities.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Internet sleuths, predictably, have seized on this ambiguity as proof of malfeasance.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambiguity
Noun
  • Years of deception, half-truths, and emotional compromises finally surface, forcing Rasheda, Geneva, Naomi, Tiffany, and Bridgette to confront not just the men in their lives, but one another.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Prevention of fraud, deception and public accountability are reasons given for this suggestion.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
    — Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of deceptiveness
Noun
  • Sanft argued his client’s account was pure fiction, and that investigators failed to quickly and vigorously corroborate it for a reason.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • One of the fears concerning AI in fiction filmmaking is that the medium of cinema could lose the value of the empathic connection people have with other humans.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fiction

Browse Nearby Words

sophistication
sophistry
sophomore
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Cite this Entry

“Sophistry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophistry. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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