V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary
spurious
adjective
Definition: 1. not valid or genuine; 2. different than what is claimed and intended to deceive
Synonyms: counterfeit, fake, phony, meretricious, substitute, artificial, imitation, illegitimate, unauthentic, deceptive
Antonyms: genuine, authentic, true
Tips: Spurious is derived from the Latin spurius, which means "illegitimate." Spurious refers to things that are not what they are claimed to be; they are illegitimate. (It can also be used to describe children born out of wedlock, but this is an archaic use.) You may see spurious accompanied with false: The claims were both false and spurious. This means that the claims have been exposed as lies and that they were made to intentionally deceive. Spurious is a sophisticated way of accusing someone of lying with the intent to deceive. Use spurious to describe the evidence of the lie. "The spurious documents were proven in court to be counterfeit."
Usage Examples:
The lawyer said the charges were spurious and were only trumped up to discredit his client. (illegitimate, unauthentic)
He made false and spurious accusations against me in order to damage my reputation. (deceptive, illegitimate)
She thought she had discovered an authentic Rembrandt, but it turned out to be a spurious painting. (counterfeit, unauthentic)
The news program created a story based on spurious information and faced intense backlash when the truth was discovered. (inauthentic, phony)
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