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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The great efficacy of such a threat lies not in its use but entirely in the threat, the ambiguity.Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
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All of humankind’s dualities and ambiguities are the dualities and ambiguities that exist in these characters.Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In firing off nuclear threats, Putin is burnishing his role as a master of deception.Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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This is a game of deception after all, and everyone is in on it.Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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As the first Black winner of a RITA Award for romantic fiction, Ryan has written bestselling books that showcase beautiful, multifaceted, and nuanced characters.Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 18 Dec. 2024
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On the power of seeing and being seen. … Paperback fiction 1.The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near sophistry
Cite this Entry
“Sophistry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sophistry. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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