fallacy
widely held wrong belief
A belief or idea that is not true, but that many people think is true because it sounds right.
the fallacy that [clause]
- It is a common fallacy that eating late at night automatically leads to weight gain.
- The book challenges the fallacy that success is purely a matter of talent.
- There is a widespread fallacy that more hours at the office always mean higher productivity.
- He pointed out the fallacy that higher education guarantees a well‑paid job.
- The article tries to correct the fallacy that all carbohydrates are unhealthy.
- It is a fallacy that money always brings happiness.
- Many people believe the fallacy that older workers cannot learn new skills.
- The teacher talked about the fallacy that girls are worse at math than boys.
- We must question the fallacy that more technology always means a better life.
- She wrote an essay about the fallacy that failure is always bad.
error in logical reasoning
A mistake in the way someone uses reasons, so that the argument does not really support the conclusion.
[someone] commits the fallacy of [name]
- Her argument commits a classic fallacy of assuming that correlation proves causation.
- The professor asked the class to find at least one fallacy in the editorial.
- Recognizing logical fallacies is essential for evaluating political speeches.
- The debate coach explained why the student's point was a fallacy, not a valid objection.
- The article is full of fallacies, so its conclusion cannot be trusted.
- The teacher showed us a fallacy in the argument.
- He used a fallacy when he said that one bad experience means all travel is dangerous.
- We learned to find fallacies in advertisements.
- This video explains ten common logical fallacies.
- Her essay lost marks because it contained several fallacies.
misleading or deceptive appearance
The way something can look or seem true, but is actually not true.
the fallacy of [appearance/assumption]
- The novel explores the fallacy of appearances in a small, seemingly perfect town.
- Travel cured him of the fallacy of security that came with his office job.
- The crash exposed the fallacy of control that investors had felt during the boom years.
- The story shows the fallacy of appearances.
- The accident showed them the fallacy of feeling safe on that road.
- The film talks about the fallacy of thinking money can solve every problem.
- Base: fallacy
- Plural: fallacies, fallacy
appeal to authority fallacy
1error of relying on authority
The mistake of saying something is true just because an expert or famous person says it, without giving good reasons or evidence.
- Citing a celebrity with no medical training is an appeal to authority fallacy.
- The lecturer warned us to watch out for the appeal to authority fallacy in advertisements.
ecological fallacy
1error from group data to individuals
The mistake of thinking that what is true for a group must also be true for each person in that group.
- Saying every resident is rich because the area is rich is an ecological fallacy.
- Researchers are trained to avoid the ecological fallacy when interpreting statistics.
fallacy of composition
1error from parts to whole
The mistake of thinking that if each part of something has a quality, then the whole thing must also have that quality.
- Assuming a team is great because each player is great is a fallacy of composition.
- The textbook uses simple examples to show the fallacy of composition.
fallacy of division
1error from whole to parts
The mistake of thinking that if a group or whole thing has a quality, then every member or part must also have that quality.
- Assuming every citizen is wealthy because the country is rich is the fallacy of division.
- The lecturer contrasted the fallacy of composition with the fallacy of division.
fallacy of equivocation
1error of shifting word meanings
The mistake of changing the meaning of an important word during an argument, so the word is used in two different ways.
- His joke about "light" was actually an example of the fallacy of equivocation.
- Logic students learned to spot the fallacy of equivocation in tricky examples.
gambler's fallacy
1error about random chances
The mistake of thinking that if something happened many times before, it is less likely or more likely to happen next, when each event is actually independent.
- Putting more money on red because black has come up three times is the gambler's fallacy.
- The article uses the gambler's fallacy to explain why people make bad lottery decisions.
genetic fallacy
1error of judging by origin
The mistake of accepting or rejecting an idea only because of where it comes from, not because of the reasons for or against it.
- Saying the theory must be wrong because it was first proposed in the 19th century is a genetic fallacy.
- He accused his opponent of using a genetic fallacy instead of engaging with the data.
logical fallacies
1various errors in reasoning
Different kinds of mistakes in how people use reasons to support their ideas.
- The course includes a whole unit on logical fallacies.
- Understanding logical fallacies helps you read the news more critically.
narrative fallacy
1error of over-simple storytelling
The mistake of making a nice, simple story about why something happened, and then believing the story is true just because it is easy to understand.
- The author warns about the narrative fallacy in business success stories.
- Believing that one habit alone explains his success is a narrative fallacy.
naturalistic fallacy
1error of deriving ‘ought’ from ‘is’
The mistake of saying that something is good or right just because it is natural or because it happens in nature.
- Claiming that a behavior is moral because animals do it is a naturalistic fallacy.
- The philosopher criticized the argument as an example of the naturalistic fallacy.
pathetic fallacy
1literary device linking mood and nature
In literature, when the writer describes nature or things as if they feel the same emotions as a person in the story.
- The storm that begins when the hero feels angry is a clear example of the pathetic fallacy.
- In class we underlined every use of the pathetic fallacy in the poem.
slippery slope fallacy
1error of exaggerated chain reaction
The mistake of saying that one small action will definitely lead to a series of worse and worse things, without strong proof.
- Saying that one late assignment will ruin your whole career is a slippery slope fallacy.
- The editor cut the paragraph because it relied on a slippery slope fallacy rather than facts.
straw man fallacy
1error of attacking a distortion
The mistake of changing what someone said into a weaker or different idea, and then attacking that instead of their real point.
- Accusing her of wanting to ban all cars was a straw man fallacy.
- The debate judge noted that his reply was just a straw man fallacy, not a real answer.
sunk cost fallacy
1error of chasing past investments
The mistake of staying with a plan just because you already spent time or money on it, even when it would be better to stop.
- Staying in a job you hate only because of your degree is a classic sunk cost fallacy.
- The manager warned the team not to fall into the sunk cost fallacy with the failing project.
logical fallacy
1error in logical reasoning
A mistake in how reasons are used to support a point, so the logic of the argument does not really work.
- The video explains five common logical fallacies found in online debates.
- Calling someone a hypocrite is not a logical fallacy by itself; it depends on how the point is used.
logical fallacy
2error in logical reasoning
A mistake in thinking where the steps of an argument are wrong, even if the result might look true.
- Saying that something is popular so it must be right is a common logical fallacy.
- The teacher asked us to find the logical fallacy in the argument.
- His speech sounded impressive, but it was full of logical fallacies.