Ad Hom

Pronunciation: /æd hɒm/

Definitions of ad hom

noun a Latin phrase meaning 'to the man', used to describe an argument that attacks a person's character rather than addressing the issue at hand

Example Sentences

A1 I don't understand the concept of ad hom.

A2 The teacher explained that ad hom attacks are not valid arguments.

B1 During the debate, one of the participants resorted to ad hom to discredit the other.

B2 It's important to avoid using ad hominem attacks in discussions.

C1 The politician's speech was full of ad hom arguments against his opponent.

C2 The journalist criticized the editorial for its reliance on ad hom reasoning.

Examples of ad hom in a Sentence

formal The argument presented was based on ad hominem attacks rather than logical reasoning.

informal She always resorts to ad hom attacks when she's losing an argument.

slang He's just ad hom-ing because he can't handle being wrong.

figurative Using ad hominem in a debate is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Grammatical Forms of ad hom

• past tense: ad homed
• plural: ad homs
• comparative: more ad hom
• superlative: most ad hom
• present tense: ad hom
• future tense: will ad hom
• perfect tense: have ad homed
• continuous tense: is ad homing
• singular: ad hom
• positive degree: ad hom
• infinitive: to ad hom
• gerund: ad homing
• participle: ad homed

Origin and Evolution of ad hom

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The term 'ad hom' is derived from the Latin phrase 'argumentum ad hominem', which translates to 'argument directed at the person'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in logic and rhetoric to describe a fallacious argument that attacks the person making the argument rather than the argument itself. Over time, the term has come to be used more broadly to refer to any personal attack or criticism directed at an individual rather than addressing the substance of their argument.