adjective

spurious

/ˈspjʊəriəs/ · say it: SPYOOR·ee·uhs

not genuine; false

In Sophisticated Everyday

false or fake

In Debate & Persuasion

In more detail

1. (adjective) not genuine or real; false or fake

2. (adjective) seeming to be true or real but actually false or misleading

Examples

1. The document was declared spurious after experts examined it.
2. The connection between the two events was spurious; they were not actually related.

How to use spurious

Spurious describes something that is deceptively presented as genuine or that appears legitimate but is actually false or invalid. It is often used in academic, legal, or analytical contexts to challenge claims, evidence, or reasoning. Unlike 'fake,' which simply means not real, spurious emphasizes the misleading or deceptive nature of something that seems credible.

Common phrases

spurious claim
spurious evidence
spurious correlation
spurious argument
spurious logic

Synonyms

false · fake · fraudulent · counterfeit · bogus

Opposites

genuine · authentic · real

Word family

spuriously (adverb) · spuriousness (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use spurious to mean merely 'trivial' or 'unimportant' rather than 'false or misleading'; spurious specifically concerns authenticity, not significance.

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