fallacy
/făl′ə-sē/
noun
  1. A false notion.
  2. A statement or an argument based on a false or invalid inference.
  3. Incorrectness of reasoning or belief; erroneousness.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. More at Wordnik
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › fallacy
FALLACY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
2 weeks ago - The meaning of FALLACY is a false or mistaken idea. How to use fallacy in a sentence. Did you know?
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › fallacy
FALLACY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
FALLACY meaning: 1. an idea that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false: 2. an idea that a lot of…. Learn more.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Fallacy
Fallacy - Wikipedia
2 days ago - English scholar and theologian Richard Whately (1787–1863) defines a fallacy broadly as, "any argument, or apparent argument, which professes to be decisive of the matter at hand, while in reality it is not".
use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument
Fallacy - Wikipedia
classification of fallacies: (1) material, (2) verbal, and (3) formal
A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument that may appear to be well-reasoned if unnoticed. The term was introduced in the Western … Wikipedia
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Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
iep.utm.edu › fallacy
Fallacies | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The vast majority of the commonly identified fallacies involve arguments, although some involve only explanations, or definitions, or questions, or other products of reasoning. Some researchers, although not most, use the term “fallacy” very broadly to indicate any false belief or cause of a false belief.
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › fallacy
FALLACY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
FALLACY definition: a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.. See examples of fallacy used in a sentence.
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Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › fallacy
Fallacy - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
Fallacy comes from the Latin fallacia, for deceit. It technically means a flaw in an argument that makes it deceptive or misleading. In poetry, the "pathetic fallacy" is the false idea that things like rocks or stars have human feelings (pathos).
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The Writing Center
writingcenter.unc.edu › home › tips & tools › fallacies
Fallacies – The Writing Center
December 29, 2011 - Fallacies are defects that weaken arguments. By learning to look for them in your own and others’ writing, you can strengthen your ability to evaluate the arguments you make, read, and hear.
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Medium
medium.com › @3valuedlogic › what-is-a-fallacy-bb5bbbfcb397
What is a fallacy?
December 17, 2022 - A fallacy is an argument that seems good but is not. This definition is identical to our “bad definition of fallacy” in every way except that it adds an appearance component to the definition.
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Logical Fallacies
logicalfallacies.org › fallacy-fallacy.html
Fallacy Fallacy - Definition & Examples | LF
The Fallacy Fallacy, also known as the Argument from Fallacy, is a logical fallacy in which a conclusion is rejected solely because it has been derived from an argument that contains a fallacy. This type of fallacy is committed when someone concludes that a statement is false simply because ...
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Logically Fallacious
logicallyfallacious.com › logicalfallacies › Definist-Fallacy
Definist Fallacy
This book is a crash course in effective reasoning, meant to catapult you into a world where you start to see things how they really are, not how you think they are. The focus of this book is on logical fallacies, which loosely defined, are simply errors in reasoning.
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Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › us › dictionary › english › fallacy
FALLACY definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary
4 senses: 1. an incorrect or misleading notion or opinion based on inaccurate facts or invalid reasoning 2. unsound or invalid.... Click for more definitions.
Published   January 16, 2018
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StudioBinder
studiobinder.com › scriptwriting › what is a fallacy — definition, types, and examples
What is a Fallacy — Definition, Types, and Examples
November 22, 2025 - A fallacy, as used in the realm of logic and argumentation, refers to a flawed argument or reasoning that appears superficially sound. It's a deceptive notion that relies on unsound arguments, inaccurate data, or misleading tactics to convince ...
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Simple Book Publishing
open.library.okstate.edu › criticalthinking › chapter › __unknown__-3
Fallacies – Critical Thinking
September 1, 2019 - I. What Are Fallacies?1 Fallacies are mistakes of reasoning, as opposed to making mistakes that are of a factual nature. If I counted twenty people…
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › philosophy & religion › philosophical issues
Fallacy | Logic, Definition & Examples | Britannica
4 weeks ago - Fallacy, in logic, erroneous reasoning that has the appearance of soundness. In logic an argument consists of a set of statements, the premises, whose truth supposedly supports the truth of a single statement called the conclusion of the argument.
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-definition-of-a-fallacy-What-are-some-examples-of-fallacies-How-can-one-avoid-them-when-making-arguments
What is the definition of a fallacy? What are some examples of fallacies? How can one avoid them when making arguments? - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): A fallacy is an invalid reasoning. There are a huge number of typical cases that happen so often that they are given names. The best way to avoid them is to learn about them and then try to recognize them in everyday life.
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Mediresonline
mediresonline.org › article › exact-definition-fallacy-a-new-logical-fallacy
Exact Definition Fallacy: A New Logical Fallacy
If the debater provides a reasonable personal definition, then the other debater will not accept it, but he or she will ask for a dictionary definition or an organization's definition. A fallacy is the use of invalid or faulty reasoning to construct an argument.
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Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › logical fallacies | definition, types, list & examples
Logical Fallacies | Definition, Types, List & Examples
October 9, 2023 - A logical fallacy is an argument that may sound convincing or true but is actually flawed, leading to an unsupported conclusion.
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Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com › dictionary › fallacy_n
fallacy, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
There are 11 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun fallacy, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Fallacies_of_definition
Fallacies of definition - Wikipedia
July 24, 2025 - The definist fallacy is a logical fallacy, coined by William Frankena in 1939 in a critique of the "naturalistic fallacy", that involves the definition of one property in terms of a non-synonym.