spurious

/'spjuəriəs/

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Sure! Let’s break down the word "spurious."

Definition:

Spurious (adjective) means something that seems to be true or genuine but is actually not. It often refers to things that are fake or misleading.

Usage Instructions:

• Use "spurious" when you want to describe something that is not what it appears to be or when you suspect that something is false or illegitimate.

Examples:

1. Art: "The museum was tricked into displaying a spurious work of art that was later found to be a fake."
2. Claims: "The politician made a spurious claim about his opponent, trying to mislead the voters."
3. Relationships: "They discovered that the spurious child was not the ruler's legitimate heir."

Advanced Usage:

In more formal or academic contexts, you might find "spurious" used in discussions about data, research conclusions, or arguments that lack a solid foundation: - "The study's conclusions were based on spurious correlations rather than actual causation."

Word Variants:

• Spuriousness (noun): The quality of being spurious.
  • Example: "The spuriousness of the evidence was evident during the trial."
• Spuriously (adverb): In a spurious manner.
  • Example: "He argued spuriously that the results supported his theory."

Different Meanings:

While "spurious" mainly refers to false or deceptive things, it can also mean illegitimate in terms of relationships: - Born out of wedlock: When a child is born to parents who are not married to each other, they may be called spurious in historical contexts.

Synonyms:

• False
• Fake
• Deceptive
• Misleading
• Fraudulent
• Specious (which also means seemingly plausible but actually wrong)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

There aren’t specific idioms or phrasal verbs that use "spurious," but you might come across phrases like: - "Spurious reasoning" – referring to faulty logic. - "Spurious arguments" – referring to claims that are not valid.

Summary:

"Spurious" is a useful word to describe things that are deceptive or not genuine.

Academic

Adjective

1. intended to deceive
   • a spurious work of art
2. born out of wedlock
   • the dominions of both rulers passed away to their spurious or doubtful offspring- E.A.Freeman
3. plausible but false
   • a specious claim
   • spurious inferences

Synonyms

• inauthentic
• unauthentic
• bastardly
• misbegot
• misbegotten
• specious