SPURIOUS: "Plausible but false; Intended to deceive"

By MsW

“Spurious” is an adjective that refers to something false, fake, or not genuine. It is often used to describe things that are intended to deceive or mislead.

Etymology: The term "spurious" originates from the Latin word "spurius," which means illegitimate or false. The Latin term itself may have been derived from the ancient Etruscan language, where "spur" meant to banish or cast away. Over time, the Latin word evolved to encompass the notion of something not genuine or authentic.

Sample Sentences:

  1. The detective quickly realized that the evidence presented was spurious and did not hold up under scrutiny.

  2. The website was filled with spurious claims about miracle cures, aiming to exploit vulnerable individuals seeking quick solutions to health issues.

  3. The counterfeit currency was so well-made that at first glance, it appeared genuine, but upon closer inspection, its spurious nature became evident.

  4. The historian exposed the spurious documents that were attempting to rewrite the historical narrative for political purposes.

  5. Mary was disappointed to discover that the antique vase she purchased was spurious, not an authentic artifact from the Ming Dynasty.

Synonyms: false, bogus, counterfeit, deceptive

Antonyms: genuine, authentic, valid

Quotes:

"It is in the moments when the mind is most active and the fewest things are forgotten that the most intense joys are experienced. This indeed is one of the best touchstones of happiness. The happiness that requires intoxication of no matter what sort is a spurious and unsatisfying kind. The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties, and the fullest realization of the world in which we live."
— Bertrand Russell

Some of these graves are clearly spurious and were manufactured by nineteenth-century royalists who wanted evidence of an unbroken 2,000-year-old imperial line.
-- Gale Eisenstodt, "Behind the Chrysanthemum Curtain", The Atlantic, November 1998

Well, setting aside the sentimental nostalgia that elevates the "good old days" to a spurious perfection . . . the fact remains that Nellie Melba was a unique vocal phenomenon.
-- Tim Page, "For Melba a Well-Deserved Toast", Washington Post, February 9, 2003

Spurious comes from Latin spurius, "illegitimate, hence false, inauthentic."

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