Logical Fallacies

noun A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

• The professor used an analogy to explain the complex scientific concept.
• She made an analogy comparing studying for exams to training for a marathon.
• His analogy about relationships being like a rollercoaster really resonated with me.
• The artist used color as an analogy for emotions in her abstract painting.

noun a discussion involving differing points of view; debate

• The two scholars engaged in a heated argument over the interpretation of the ancient text.
• I overheard an argument between two coworkers about whose turn it was to clean the break room.
• I got into a big argument with my friend last night, but we made up this morning.
• The argument between light and darkness raged on, each side fighting for dominance.

noun a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof

adjective relating to or based on an assumption

• The research study was based on the assumption that all participants were honest in their responses.
• Don't make assumptions about people you don't know well.
• I jumped to conclusions without knowing the full story.
• She built her entire argument on the shaky assumption that everyone agreed with her.

noun a logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence or proof

verb to assume the truth of an argument or proposition that is yet to be proved

preposition used in the phrase 'beg the question' to indicate the action of assuming something to be true without evidence

• The argument presented by the speaker seems to beg the question of whether the data is reliable.
• I don't mean to beg the question, but are you sure you have all the facts straight?
• Dude, that totally begs the question - do you even know what you're talking about?
• Her actions beg the question of whether she truly values our friendship.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• The discussion about the budget is beside the point when we are talking about the overall strategy.
• Arguing about who was at fault is beside the point now that the problem has been resolved.
• Who cares about the details, that's beside the point!
• Her criticisms were beside the point, as they did not address the main issue at hand.

noun the quality of being clear, logical, and convincing; persuasiveness

• The cogency of the argument presented by the expert was undeniable.
• I was impressed by the cogency of his reasoning during the debate.
• Her cogency in explaining the concept blew my mind.
• The cogency of her emotions was evident in the way she expressed herself.

noun a statement or assertion that is the opposite of another statement

verb to assert the opposite of a statement or belief

• The witness's testimony seemed to contradict the evidence presented by the prosecution.
• She always seems to contradict herself whenever we have a discussion.
• I can't believe he contradicted his own statement just to impress his friends.
• Her actions contradict her words, showing a lack of sincerity.

noun a combination of statements, ideas, or features that are opposed to one another

• The scientist discovered a contradiction in the data that needed further investigation.
• I don't understand, there seems to be a contradiction in what you're saying.
• It's a total contradiction, bro. I can't believe it.
• Her actions were a contradiction to her words, showing her true intentions.

adjective expressing or implying contradiction; inconsistent; logically opposite

• The witness gave contradictory statements during the trial, causing confusion among the jury.
• She always says one thing and does another, it's so contradictory.
• I can't keep up with his contradictory behavior, it's so annoying.
• The painting's use of contradictory colors created a sense of chaos and imbalance.

noun a state or quality of being contrary; opposition or resistance

adjective contrary or opposite in nature, direction, or meaning

• The contrariety between their political beliefs led to many heated debates.
• Their contrariety on the issue caused a lot of tension in the group.
• Their contrariety was like oil and water, they just couldn't get along.
• The contrariety of their personalities created a stormy relationship.

noun a proposition that follows from one already proved

adjective naturally following or resulting from

• The corollary of this theorem can be proven using a similar approach.
• The corollary to that is we'll have to find another way to solve the problem.
• The corollary of skipping class is getting detention.
• The corollary of taking risks is experiencing both success and failure.

noun the amount that is subtracted or deducted

• The accountant made a deduction for the business expenses.
• I made a deduction from my paycheck for taxes.
• I did the math and made a deduction, turns out I have more money than I thought.
• Through deductive reasoning, I was able to make a deduction about the suspect's whereabouts.

noun a fact or argument that proves something to be false or incorrect

• The scientist presented solid evidence as a disproof of the previous theory.
• She totally shut down his argument with that disproof.
• He dropped the mic with that disproof!
• Her disproof was like a wrecking ball to his argument.

verb to use ambiguous or unclear language in order to deceive or avoid committing to a position

• The witness tried to equivocate when asked about his whereabouts on the night of the crime.
• Don't equivocate, just tell me the truth.
• Stop equivocating and give me a straight answer.
• Her smile seemed to equivocate her true feelings about the situation.

noun the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication

• The politician's equivocation on the issue only served to confuse the public further.
• Stop with the equivocation and just give a straight answer!
• Quit with the equivocation, just tell it like it is.
• Her equivocation was like trying to walk a tightrope without falling.

adjective fallacious - containing a mistake in logic; deceptive or misleading

• The argument presented by the defense attorney was fallacious and lacked evidence.
• Don't believe everything you hear, some of it may be fallacious.
• That website is full of fallacious information, don't trust it.
• Her promises turned out to be fallacious, like a mirage in the desert.

noun a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument

• The argument that all politicians are corrupt is a fallacy.
• Thinking that all cats hate water is a fallacy.
• Believing that you can get rich quick is a total fallacy.
• The fallacy of assuming success will come overnight is a common misconception.

adjective without any basis in reason or fact; unfounded

• The accusation against him was completely groundless and lacked any evidence.
• She made a groundless assumption about his intentions without knowing the full story.
• Don't believe those groundless rumors going around about her, they're just gossip.
• His arguments were so weak and groundless that they crumbled under scrutiny.

verb to be valid or sound; to stand up to scrutiny or criticism

• The scientific evidence presented by the researcher seems to hold water.
• I'm not sure if his excuse will hold water with the boss.
• I don't think his story really holds water.
• The argument made by the politician doesn't really hold water.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'illogical' describes something that lacks logic or reason.

• The conclusion drawn by the researcher seems completely illogical based on the data presented.
• It's so illogical to think that she would agree to that proposal after everything that happened.
• That plan is totally illogical - there's no way it's going to work out.
• Her decision to quit her job without having another one lined up seemed illogical at first, but it ended up being the best move she ever made.

adjective not capable of being demonstrated or proved

• The theory remains indemonstrable due to lack of empirical evidence.
• It's hard to prove because it's indemonstrable.
• That idea is totally indemonstrable, dude.
• Her love for him was indemonstrable, but evident in her actions.

adjective not appropriate or well-suited for a particular situation; inappropriate or awkward

• The speaker's choice of words was infelicitous and caused confusion among the audience.
• Her infelicitous comment made everyone in the room uncomfortable.
• That was a really infelicitous thing to say, dude.
• His infelicitous actions led to a chain reaction of negative consequences.

noun a dogmatic statement

• The judge's ruling was based solely on ipse dixit, without any supporting evidence.
• Don't just believe him because of his ipse dixit, do some research yourself.
• I call ipse dixit on that claim, it sounds too good to be true.
• Her argument was strong, but it relied too heavily on ipse dixit and lacked concrete examples.

noun the quality or state of being irrational; lack of rationality or reason

adjective irrational

• The decision was based on pure irrationality and lacked any logical reasoning.
• Her fear of spiders was just pure irrationality, she knows they can't hurt her.
• Stop being so irrational, there's no need to overreact like that.
• The irrationality of his actions left everyone puzzled and confused.

noun a process of excessively focusing on minor details or technicalities in an argument or discussion

• The philosopher engaged in a rigorous session of logic chopping to dissect the complex argument.
• Stop with all the logic chopping and just tell me what you really think.
• I can't stand all the logic chopping going on in this debate.
• His constant logic chopping was like trying to untangle a knot in a rope.

noun a statement or conclusion that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement

• The professor pointed out that the student's argument was a non sequitur.
• I don't get why you brought up that random fact, it's a total non sequitur.
• That comment was such a non sequitur, like what even?
• Her sudden outburst was a non sequitur in the otherwise calm meeting.

noun spoken or written words that have no meaning or make no sense; foolish or absurd behavior

• The scientist dismissed the claim as pure nonsense, lacking any empirical evidence.
• Don't listen to him, he's just talking nonsense.
• Stop spouting nonsense, you're not making any sense.
• Her excuses were just a smokescreen of nonsense to cover up the truth.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'not true' is describing something that is false or incorrect.

• The statement made by the witness is simply not true.
• I'm telling you, what they said is just not true.
• That's total BS, it's so not true.
• His words may sound convincing, but they are not true in the slightest.

noun a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

• The concept of time travel presents a paradox in physics.
• It's a paradox that the more you try to save money, the more you end up spending.
• It's a total mind-bender that she said she hates drama but always seems to be in the middle of it.
• His success in the business world was a paradox considering his humble beginnings.

noun a deceptive or misleading argument

• The philosopher pointed out the paralogism in the argument, highlighting the logical fallacy.
• I think there's a paralogism in your reasoning, it doesn't quite add up.
• Your argument is full of paralogisms, you need to work on your logic.
• The paralogism in her story was like a tangled web of confusion.

verb to quibble over insignificant details or argue in a petty way

• The lawyer tried to pettifog the details of the contract to confuse the jury.
• Don't try to pettifog your way out of this, just tell the truth.
• Stop pettifogging and just admit that you made a mistake.
• She always tries to pettifog the truth to make herself look better.

noun a belief that something is true without having actual proof or evidence

adjective presumptuous (showing excessive confidence or boldness)

• The judge reminded the jury to not make any presumption of guilt without sufficient evidence.
• Don't jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts, it's just a presumption.
• People always make presumptions about others based on appearances, it's so frustrating.
• In the world of business, having a presumption of success can sometimes lead to taking unnecessary risks.

noun a slight objection or criticism

verb to argue or raise objections about a trivial matter

• The lawyers spent hours quibbling over the exact wording of the contract.
• Let's not quibble about who should do the dishes, just pick one and get it done.
• Stop quibbling and just go with the flow.
• She always finds a way to quibble about everything, even when it's not necessary.

noun an instance of arguing about a trivial matter

verb to argue or raise objections about a trivial matter

adjective engaged in or characterized by petty or trivial argument

• The lawyers spent hours quibbling over minor details in the contract.
• Stop quibbling and just make a decision already!
• Quit quibbling and get to the point.
• Their relationship was falling apart due to constant quibbling over insignificant matters.

noun the process of logical reasoning or thinking

• His ratiocination skills were evident in his ability to analyze complex problems.
• She used her ratiocination to figure out the best route to take.
• I can't believe his ratiocination led him to that crazy conclusion.
• Her ratiocination was like a well-oiled machine, always coming to logical conclusions.

noun the mental process of thinking about something in a logical way in order to form a conclusion or judgement

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adjective None

adverb None

pronoun None

preposition None

conjunction None

interjection None

article None

• The professor's reasoning behind his theory was based on extensive research and analysis.
• I don't understand your reasoning for quitting your job out of the blue.
• Her reasoning for ghosting him was pretty shady if you ask me.
• The artist's reasoning for choosing such bold colors in her painting was to evoke strong emotions in the viewer.

noun a clue or piece of information that is intended to be misleading or distracting

• The detective quickly realized that the evidence was a red herring in the case.
• Don't be fooled by that clue, it's just a red herring.
• That piece of information is a total red herring, don't pay it any mind.
• His excuse was just a red herring to distract from the real issue.

noun the act of proving a statement or theory to be false or incorrect

• The scientist presented a well-researched refutation of the theory proposed by his colleague.
• She totally shut down his argument with a solid refutation.
• He straight up debunked that with a killer refutation.
• Her words were like a sharp sword, cutting through his argument with precision and refutation.

noun a statement that contradicts itself or itself refutes a statement

adjective describing something that is contradictory within itself

• The philosopher pointed out the self-contradiction in the politician's argument.
• I can't believe the self-contradiction in what she just said.
• It's so funny when people don't realize their own self-contradictions.
• Her actions were a self-contradiction of her stated beliefs.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'self-contradictory' describes something that contradicts itself.

• The statement he made was self-contradictory as it contained two conflicting ideas.
• I don't get how his argument can be self-contradictory like that.
• Her logic is totally whack, it's self-contradictory and makes no sense.
• His actions were self-contradictory, like trying to walk in two opposite directions at the same time.

noun a fallacious argument, especially one used deliberately to deceive

• The philosopher dismantled the sophism presented by his opponent with logical reasoning.
• Don't fall for that sophism, it's just a trick to deceive you.
• That sophism is total BS, don't believe a word of it.
• Her argument was like a sophisticated dance of sophisms, weaving in and out of logic and reason.

noun A teacher of philosophy and rhetoric in ancient Greece

• The sophist used clever arguments to persuade the jury.
• Don't listen to that sophist, he's just trying to manipulate you.
• That sophist is such a smooth talker, you can't trust a word he says.
• Beware of the sophist in sheep's clothing, their words may deceive you.

adjective relating to or characteristic of sophistry, especially being deceptive or misleading in argumentation

• The lawyer used a sophistical argument to try to win the case.
• I don't trust his sophistical reasoning.
• She always comes up with some sophistical excuse to get out of trouble.
• His sophistical web of lies eventually caught up with him.

noun a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning

• The politician's argument was filled with sophistry, attempting to deceive the public with flawed reasoning.
• Don't fall for his sophistry, he's just trying to trick you with fancy words.
• That guy's sophistry is so obvious, he thinks he can fool everyone but he's just full of it.
• Her words were like a web of sophistry, weaving a complex and deceptive narrative.

noun the state or quality of being sound, in good condition, or free from defects

• The soundness of the scientific study's methodology was questioned by peer reviewers.
• I'm not sure about the soundness of his plan to start a business with no experience.
• I doubt the soundness of her decision to quit her job without a backup plan.
• The soundness of his argument was like a solid foundation that couldn't be shaken.

noun a noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'reasoning' is a noun as it refers to the act of thinking about something in a logical way.

adjective an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this case, 'specious' is an adjective that describes the type of reasoning as misleading or deceptive.

• The defendant's argument was based on specious reasoning and lacked solid evidence.
• Don't fall for his specious reasoning - he's just trying to trick you.
• Her specious reasoning is so obvious, it's like she's not even trying to make sense.
• His specious reasoning was like building a house on sand - it was bound to collapse.

adjective deceptively attractive or seemingly plausible but fallacious

• The specious argument presented by the defense attorney was quickly dismantled by the prosecution.
• Don't fall for his specious excuses, he's just trying to avoid taking responsibility.
• Her specious reasoning was so off-base, I couldn't even follow what she was trying to say.
• The specious promises of easy money turned out to be nothing but a scam.

noun the quality or state of being specious; superficially plausible, but actually wrong or misleading

adjective specious

• The speciousness of the argument was quickly exposed during the debate.
• His speciousness was so obvious that no one believed him.
• Her speciousness was off the charts - she couldn't fool anyone with that excuse.
• The speciousness of his promises left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth.

noun the act of supposing

• The experiment was based on the supposition that all variables would remain constant.
• I made the supposition that she would be late, and I was right.
• I'm working off the supposition that we'll get free food at the event.
• His whole argument was built on the shaky supposition that everyone would agree with him.

noun a statement that is obviously true and does not need to be explained or proven

• It is often considered a truism that honesty is the best policy.
• It's a truism that early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
• The truism 'you snooze, you lose' definitely applies here.
• The truism 'actions speak louder than words' can be seen in his behavior.

noun lack of reason or good sense; irrationality

• The decision to cut funding for the program was met with unreason by the stakeholders.
• I can't believe the unreason behind their refusal to compromise.
• It's pure unreason to think you can get away with cheating on the test.
• His unreason was like a dark cloud that overshadowed every discussion we had.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'unrefutable' is an adjective that means impossible to refute or disprove.

• The evidence presented by the prosecution is unrefutable and clearly proves the defendant's guilt.
• There's unrefutable proof that she was the one who ate the last cookie.
• No way he can deny it, the video evidence is unrefutable.
• Her love for him was unrefutable, like a force of nature that couldn't be denied.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'unrefuted' describes something that has not been proven wrong or disputed.

• The scientist presented an unrefuted theory that challenged existing beliefs.
• No one has been able to disprove his argument, it's unrefuted.
• His claim remains unrefuted, no one has been able to prove him wrong.
• Her reputation for honesty is unrefuted, no one has ever questioned her integrity.

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun, in this case 'unsupportable' describes something that cannot be supported

• The argument presented by the lawyer was deemed unsupportable by the judge.
• His excuse for being late was completely unsupportable.
• That theory is totally unsupportable, dude.
• The weight of her responsibilities felt unsupportable at times.

adjective not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection

• The current economic situation is untenable and requires immediate intervention.
• Living with roommates who never clean up after themselves is just untenable.
• I can't believe you're still dating that guy, it's totally untenable.
• The tension between the two countries has reached an untenable level, threatening to boil over into conflict.

adjective having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless

• The vacuous statement made by the politician lacked substance and failed to address the issue at hand.
• She always makes vacuous comments without thinking about what she's saying.
• Stop being so vacuous and actually contribute something meaningful to the conversation.
• The empty room felt vacuous, as if it was missing something essential.

noun a logical fallacy in which the middle term in a syllogism is not distributed in either the major or minor premise

adjective describing the fallacy of undistributed middle

• The fallacy of undistributed middle occurs when the middle term in a syllogism is not distributed in either the major or minor premise.
• You can't just assume a connection between two things without properly distributing the middle term in your argument.
• Don't be fooled by that undistributed middle, it's just a sneaky way to make a false connection.
• Just like a bridge without supports, an argument with an undistributed middle will collapse under scrutiny.

noun a logical fallacy where someone distorts or misrepresents an opponent's argument in order to make it easier to attack

verb to use the straw man fallacy in an argument

• The debater was accused of straw-manning his opponent's argument by misrepresenting it.
• Stop straw-manning my points and actually listen to what I'm saying.
• Don't be a straw-manner and twist my words like that.
• She felt like her ideas were being straw-manned by the group, making her hesitant to speak up.

noun A word used to identify a person, place, thing, or idea.

verb A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.

adjective A word used to describe or modify a noun.

adverb A word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc.

pronoun A word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse.

preposition A word used to show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence.

conjunction A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.

• It is absurd to swear that black is white, as they are clearly distinct colors.
• I can't believe some people actually say that black is white, it's ridiculous.
• I heard someone think that black is white, can you believe that?
• Sometimes in arguments, people swear that black is white just to prove their point.

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb to indicate the lack of any sense or meaning

preposition shows the relationship between 'in' and 'sense', indicating the absence of any sense or meaning

• The theory presented by the scientist is in no sense supported by empirical evidence.
• Her excuse for being late was not in any sense believable.
• That movie was in no sense worth the hype.
• His attempt to explain his actions was not in any sense coherent.

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

• The argument presented was based on ad hominem attacks rather than logical reasoning.
• She always resorts to ad hom attacks when she's losing an argument.
• He's just ad hom-ing because he can't handle being wrong.
• Using ad hominem in a debate is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

adjective not able to be solved or explained

• The mathematician claimed that the problem was unsolvable with current technology.
• I tried to solve that puzzle for hours, but it's just unsolvable.
• That math question is totally unsolvable, dude.
• The mystery of her disappearance seemed unsolvable to the detectives.

noun a logical fallacy in which an inference is made about an individual based on aggregate data for a group

• The researcher warned against committing the ecological fallacy by making assumptions about individuals based on group-level data.
• Don't jump to conclusions about people just because of where they live - that's the ecological fallacy!
• Assuming everyone in a certain area is the same is like totally falling for the ecological fallacy.
• Judging a book by its cover is a classic example of the ecological fallacy in action.

noun one - the number 1

verb doesn't - contraction of does not

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite

• It is important to remember that one swallow doesn’t make a summer when analyzing market trends.
• Just because you aced one test doesn't mean you can slack off for the rest of the semester. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, you know?
• Don't get too excited about winning one game. Remember, one swallow doesn’t make a summer.
• Just because you had a good day today doesn't mean everything will be perfect from now on. Remember, one swallow doesn’t make a summer.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun

• The attorney asked a captious question during the cross-examination.
• The teacher always asks captious questions to make us think harder.
• The interviewer hit me with a captious question out of nowhere.
• His captious questions were like arrows aiming to find faults in my argument.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'underspecified' describes something that is not clearly defined or specified

• The requirements for the project were underspecified, leading to confusion among the team members.
• The instructions were kinda vague and underspecified, so I'm not exactly sure what needs to be done.
• The boss gave us some half-assed, underspecified directions for this task.
• His plan was like a map with underspecified coordinates, leaving us lost and unsure of where to go.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'well-reasoned' describes something that is thought out or logical

• The judge appreciated the well-reasoned arguments presented by the defense attorney.
• I always enjoy listening to well-reasoned opinions during debates.
• Her explanation was so well-reasoned, it totally made sense.
• His decision to invest in that company was well-reasoned, like a carefully crafted puzzle coming together.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

conjunction a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses

• The statement made by the witness was a non-question and did not require a response.
• That was a non-question, don't bother answering it.
• The teacher asked a non-question during the quiz, it was so confusing.
• Her comment about the weather was a non-question, as it had nothing to do with the topic at hand.

noun A principle that states that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.

• In political debates, it is important to be aware of Godwin’s law which states that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches.
• Did you know about Godwin’s law? It basically says that the longer an online argument goes on, the more likely someone will mention Hitler.
• Yo, have you heard of Godwin’s law? It's like, the longer people argue on the internet, the more likely someone will bring up Nazis.
• Just like Godwin’s law predicts, any heated discussion eventually reaches a point where someone compares the other person to Hitler.

noun a type of flawed, illogical, or convoluted reasoning or argumentation

• The argument presented by the defendant was filled with pretzel logic, making it difficult for the jury to follow.
• I couldn't make sense of her explanation, it was like trying to untangle pretzel logic.
• His excuse was just a bunch of pretzel logic, trying to twist the truth.
• Her reasoning was like a twisted pretzel, full of convoluted logic.

noun a rhetorical technique that involves deflecting criticism by pointing out the flaws or wrongdoings of others

adjective describing the act or practice of engaging in whataboutery

• The debate was derailed by the constant whataboutery from both sides.
• Stop with the whataboutery and focus on the main issue at hand.
• I'm tired of your whataboutery, just admit you were wrong.
• His whataboutery was like a shield, deflecting any criticism thrown his way.

noun a difficult choice between three options or possibilities

• The economist presented a trilemma involving economic growth, income inequality, and environmental sustainability.
• I'm stuck in a trilemma trying to decide between going out with friends, studying for exams, or catching up on sleep.
• I'm in a trilemma about which movie to watch tonight - action, comedy, or horror?
• She found herself in a trilemma of emotions, torn between love, anger, and sadness.

adverb in a way that is contrary to reason or common sense

• The argument was refuted ab absurdo by pointing out the flaws in its logic.
• He tried to prove his point ab absurdo, but no one was convinced.
• She shut down his theory ab absurdo with a simple counterexample.
• The artist's painting challenged viewers to interpret it ab absurdo, leaving them puzzled and intrigued.

noun a contrary or opposing argument or viewpoint

• The judge ruled a contrario, stating that the evidence presented did not support the defendant's claim.
• She always argues a contrario, just to play devil's advocate.
• I see things a contrario, but that's just my opinion.
• Looking at the situation a contrario, it's clear that there are hidden motives at play.

noun a Latin phrase meaning 'to the point of absurdity', often used in logic and argumentation to demonstrate the absurdity of a certain claim or argument

• The philosopher argued his point ad absurdum, using logical reasoning to show the flaw in his opponent's argument.
• She took his joke ad absurdum, laughing until tears streamed down her face.
• The internet meme took the concept ad absurdum, turning a simple idea into a viral sensation.
• The artist pushed the boundaries of reality ad absurdum, creating a surreal masterpiece.

noun a word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

adjective a word naming an attribute of a noun, such as sweet, red, or technical

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb, expressing manner, place, time, or degree

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• The argument was based on ad feminam attacks rather than logical reasoning.
• She always resorts to ad feminam insults when she's angry.
• I can't stand when people start with ad feminam BS.
• Using ad feminam tactics is like fighting dirty in a debate.

noun a Latin phrase that means 'to the person' and is used to describe an argument that attacks a person's character or traits instead of focusing on the issue at hand

• It is important to avoid making ad hominem attacks during a debate.
• Don't resort to ad hominem arguments when discussing politics with your friends.
• He always gets so defensive and starts with the ad hominem insults.
• Using ad hominem attacks is like fighting dirty in an argument.

noun a Latin phrase meaning 'argument from ignorance', a logical fallacy where a proposition is assumed to be true because it has not been proven false

adverb in a way that relates to the logical fallacy of argument from ignorance

• The argumentum ad ignorantiam fallacy occurs when someone claims something is true simply because it hasn't been proven false.
• Don't fall for the ad ignorantiam fallacy - just because we don't know something doesn't mean it's automatically true.
• People who use ad ignorantiam arguments are basically saying 'I don't know, therefore I'm right.'
• She relied on ad ignorantiam to defend her position, refusing to consider any evidence to the contrary.

noun a Latin legal term meaning an appeal to pity or compassion in order to win an argument or gain sympathy

• The lawyer attempted to appeal ad misericordiam for a reduced sentence for his client.
• She always plays the sympathy card ad misericordiam whenever she's in trouble.
• He tried to guilt trip his way out of the situation ad misericordiam.
• The artist's painting evoked emotions ad misericordiam from all who viewed it.

noun a Latin term meaning to appeal to authority or expertise as a form of argument

adjective describing an argument that relies on an appeal to authority or expertise

• The use of ad verrecundiam in the argument was meant to appeal to authority.
• She always falls for ad verrecundiam, believing anything an expert says.
• Don't be fooled by that ad verrecundiam nonsense, do your own research.
• His reliance on ad verrecundiam showed his lack of critical thinking skills.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

article a word that is used with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun

• The affirmation of the consequent is a logical fallacy where one assumes that if a statement is true, then its consequent must also be true.
• If you believe that all dogs have fur, then seeing a furry animal and assuming it's a dog is an example of the affirmation of the consequent.
• Don't jump to conclusions just because something matches your initial belief - that's like falling for the affirmation of the consequent.
• In life, making decisions based on assumptions without considering all possibilities is like committing the affirmation of the consequent fallacy.

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• Against all logic, the experiment yielded unexpected results that challenged previous scientific theories.
• Against all logic, she decided to quit her stable job and travel the world.
• Against all logic, he bet all his money on a long shot at the races.
• Against all logic, the underdog team managed to beat the reigning champions in a stunning upset.