spurious

adjective

spu·​ri·​ous ˈspyu̇r-ē-əs 

1

: born to parents not married to each other

2

: outwardly similar or corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities : false

the spurious eminence of the pop celebrity

3

a

: of falsified or erroneously attributed origin : forged

b

: of a deceitful nature or quality

spurious excuses

spuriously adverb

spuriousness noun

Did you know?

The classical Latin adjective spurius started out as a word meaning "illegitimate." In the days of ancient Rome, it was sometimes even used as a first name for illegitimate offspring (apparently with no dire effects). There was a certain Spurius Lucretius, for example, who was made temporary magistrate of Rome. In less tolerant times, 18th-century English writer Horace Walpole noted that Henry VII "came of the spurious stock of John of Gaunt." Today, we still use spurious to mean "illegitimate," but the more common meaning is "false" (a sense introduced to spurious in Late Latin). Originally our "false" sense emphasized improper origin, and it still often does ("a spurious signature"), but it can also simply mean "fake" or "not real."

Synonyms

• bogus
• counterfeit
• fake
• false
• forged
• inauthentic
• phony
• phoney
• queer
• sham
• snide
• unauthentic

Examples of spurious in a Sentence

One reiterated theme of his book is that the electoral process can be the most dangerous of delusions, tending to confer a spurious legitimacy on those most willing to corrupt it. —Hilary Mantel, New York Review, 21 Sept. 2006

Of all the potentially spurious phrases regularly found lurking on book jackets, none should be approached with greater wariness than "This is his first novel." —Tony Early, New York Times Book Review, 30 Apr. 2000

I have no special interest in defending modern finance theory, but I think it is important to get this straight, lest Soros's own ideas acquire spurious validity as a practical corrective to academic moonshine. —Robert M. Solow, New Republic, 12 Apr. 1999

a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn't have fooled an art expert for a second

claimed that the governor's election-year enthusiasm for conservation was spurious, since he had cut funding for state parks

Recent Examples on the Web

In Florida, people who provided signatures in support of the state’s ballot measure received visits from state police investigating spurious allegations of fraud, and local television stations were threatened with criminal prosecution for airing an ad in support of the amendment. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

Additionally, there are mechanisms in agencies across the federal government to distinguish legitimate complaints of gender or racial bias from spurious ones. —Reuben E. Brigety Ii, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2016

Also worth noting: This isn’t the first time spurious accusations have been used against Hagekhalil. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Her exposé, which haphazardly connected a few spurious dots, provoked a media frenzy that led to the most famous L.A. car chase since O.J. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin spurius false, from Latin, of illegitimate birth, from spurius, noun, bastard

First Known Use

circa 1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

spurious

adjective

spu·​ri·​ous ˈspyu̇r-ē-əs 

: not genuine or authentic : false

spuriously adverb

spuriousness noun

Medical Definition

spurious

adjective

spu·​ri·​ous ˈspyu̇r-ē-əs 

: simulating a symptom or condition without being pathologically or morphologically genuine

spurious labor pains

spurious polycythemia