Spurious
Adjective
Definition: Not genuine, authentic, or true; false or counterfeit.
Synonyms: Fake, Bogus, Fraudulent, Counterfeit
Antonyms: Genuine, Authentic, True
Examples:
- The art dealer sold a spurious Picasso painting to an unsuspecting buyer.
- The politician's spurious claims were quickly debunked by fact-checkers.
Mnemonics:
- Think of the word "spur" which means to encourage or stimulate. A spurious claim can be seen as an attempt to spur or stimulate belief, but it's false.
Etymology:
Origin:
The word "spurious" comes from the Latin word "spurius" which means "illegitimate" or "born out of wedlock".
Historical Usage:The term has been used in English since the late 16th century to describe something as false, fake, or not genuine.
Related Idioms:
Idiom:
"Spurious correlation"
Explanation:Refers to a statistical relationship that appears significant but is actually a coincidence or unrelated.
Misconceptions:
Misconception:
Confusing "spurious" with "specious".
Explanation:Though they may sound similar, "spurious" means false or counterfeit, while "specious" means misleadingly attractive or plausible.