Superficially plausible but actually wrong; having a false appearance of truth or genuineness. Specious arguments look convincing at first glance but fall apart under scrutiny.
From Latin 'speciosus' meaning 'beautiful, plausible,' from 'species' meaning 'appearance.' Originally positive, meaning 'beautiful to look at,' it gradually acquired the negative sense of being deceptively attractive - beautiful on the surface but lacking substance.
Think 'species' - specious arguments are like fool's gold, they have the 'appearance' of being valuable but aren't the real 'species' of truth. They're pretty arguments that look good from a distance but crumble when you get close.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.