fallacy
- 01 C1 Advanced
an idea that many people believe is true, but is actually false.
a widely held but false belief or misconception.
Simple“It is a common fallacy that eating carrots will give you perfect night vision.”
In context“The documentary aims to expose the fallacy that economic growth can continue indefinitely without environmental consequences.”
UsageOften used with the adjective 'common' or 'popular'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a mistake in an argument that makes the conclusion wrong.
a failure in reasoning which renders an argument invalid; a specious or deceptive argument.
Simple“The lawyer pointed out the fallacy in the witness's logic.”
In context“His entire thesis rests on a logical fallacy, assuming that because two events happened together, one must have caused the other.”
UsageFrequently appears in the phrase 'logical fallacy'.
From Middle English fallaci, fallace, fallas, from Old French fallace, from Latin fallācia (“deception, deceit”), from fallāx (“deceptive, deceitful”), from fallere (“to deceive”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.