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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Recent Examples of sophistry
Many of Khan’s progressive allies have floated a much more realistic cure for Khan’s abysmal litigation track record: to rewrite antitrust laws in Congress, where laws are made, instead of losing case after case in court with tortured legalistic sophistry and ad hoc judicial rulemaking.
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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2023
Dickie, a student at Trinity College, wanders into a club debate, where he’s bewitched by the quicksilver sophistry of one of his peers, Willie, who is openly gay.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2023
While much of the book is devoted to contrasting the subtle reality of judicial decision-making with the crude portrayal that increasingly dominates popular discourse, the subtleties to which Breyer draws our attention are mostly sophistry—as Breyer more or less concedes.
—Ryan D. Doerfler, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2021
People know just enough to engage in sophistry so as to confuse and convince the choir, and bluster among the ignorant.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2013
See all Example Sentences for sophistry 
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2023
Dickie, a student at Trinity College, wanders into a club debate, where he’s bewitched by the quicksilver sophistry of one of his peers, Willie, who is openly gay.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2023
While much of the book is devoted to contrasting the subtle reality of judicial decision-making with the crude portrayal that increasingly dominates popular discourse, the subtleties to which Breyer draws our attention are mostly sophistry—as Breyer more or less concedes.
—Ryan D. Doerfler, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2021
People know just enough to engage in sophistry so as to confuse and convince the choir, and bluster among the ignorant.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2013
See all Example Sentences for sophistry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sophistry
Noun
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However, during a complex scene with a lot of context, complicated wording, and ambiguity about what is going on, more cognitive effort is required.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
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The novel remains true to Mann’s belief that art must include everything, allowing life its complexity and ambiguity.George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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But because pressured waterfowl aren’t easy to fool, hunters have been trying to perfect the art of decoy deception to swing the odds in their favor.Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
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On Thursday, Prime Video debuted the first trailer for its series adaptation of the 1999 teen movie, all eight episodes premiering Nov. 21 on the streamer, bringing a familiar tale of deception to a new locale with all new characters.Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Mann published no fiction for the duration of the war.George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
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That is to say, fiction should, to my mind, slightly eclipse the author’s own understanding of it.Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near sophistry
Cite this Entry
“Sophistry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophistry. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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