spu
rious
Comparative
more spurious
Superlative
most spurious
1
(of documents or objects) pretending to be genuine
- The detective spotted the spurious passport at once.
- The jeweler refused to buy the spurious diamond.
- The spurious painting fooled only amateurs.
- She dismissed the spurious signature as an obvious forgery.
- The report contained spurious data, undermining the research.
2
(of explanations or reasoning) sounding valid but being unsound actually
- The lawyer's spurious argument crumbled under cross-examination.
- His spurious reasoning made the conclusion unreliable.
- The theory rests on spurious assumptions.
- He filed a spurious claim for insurance money.
- Politicians often rely on spurious comparisons to sway voters.
Synonyms:
3
(of a child) born outside of marriage
- In old records, he was listed as a spurious son of the nobleman.
- The law once denied inheritance to spurious offspring.
- In medieval times, spurious children were often excluded from titles.
- The novel tells the story of a spurious heir to the throne.
- The spurious birth was covered up to protect the family's name.