argumentum ad Lazarum

noun

An appeal to poverty; the logical fallacy of thinking a conclusion is correct because the speaker is poor.

Meanings

nounargumentum ad Lazarum (plural argumenta ad Lazarum)

plural argumenta ad Lazarum

  1. rarerhetoricAn appeal to poverty; the logical fallacy of thinking a conclusion is correct because the speaker is poor.
    1 more example

    Indeed, the geographical fact that economic wealth and neoliberal globalization are very geographically concentrated, with just a few cities in advanced economies being the preferred locations for the world’s major stock exchanges, for the headquarters of banks and other producer service firms, cannot be wished away through either an argumentum ad lazarum (appeal to poverty) or appreciation for the diversity of urban cultures (eg, see Myers, 2011).

    2013, Richard G. Smith, “The ordinary city trap”, in Environment and Planning A, volume 45, page 2290

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

Latin Named after Lazarus, a beggar in the New Testament who receives his reward in the afterlife.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

argumentum ad Lazarum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/argumentum%20ad%20Lazarum

MLA

“argumentum ad Lazarum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/argumentum%20ad%20Lazarum. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “argumentum ad Lazarum,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/argumentum%20ad%20Lazarum.

Source: argumentum ad Lazarum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.