Well-read · Arguing & persuading · Philosophy & belief
Sophistry: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Sophistry noun. Reasoning that sounds clever but is deliberately misleading.
How to say it
SOF-iss-tree/ˈsɒfɪstri/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (SOF).
Sophistry in a sentence
The advert's claim that crisps count as a vegetable was sophistry of a high order.
Strip away the sophistry and the policy simply cuts benefits.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- casuistry
- specious reasoning
- chicanery
- quibbling
Where sophistry comes from
From the Sophists, paid teachers of argument in ancient Greece, from sophos, wise.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Strip away the _____ and the policy simply cuts benefits.
- harangue
- demagogue
- sophistry
Show the answer
sophistry: Strip away the sophistry and the policy simply cuts benefits.