Meanings
comparative more eristic · superlative most eristic · alternative uncommon eristical
- Provoking strife, controversy or discord.
c. 1810-1834? Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Notes on Waterland a specimen of admirable special pleading in the court of eristic logic
plural eristics · alternative uncommon eristical
- One who makes specious arguments; one who is disputatious.
- A type of dialogue or argument where the participants do not have any reasonable goal. The aim is to argue for the sake of conflict, and often to see who can yell the loudest.
Poets may be incurious of the subtleties of philological eristic, but they are wont to see into the heart of things.
1924, Herbert Weir Smyth, “IV. Prometheus”, in Aeschylean Tragedy, page 111
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivegiven to disputation for its own sake and often employing specious arguments
nouna person who disputes; who is good at or enjoys controversy
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐριστικός“eager for strife”
- Englisheristic
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐριστικός (eristikós, “eager for strife”). See also Eris.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan erístic
- erísticprovoking
Finnish eristiikka
- eristiikkatype of dialogue
French éristique
- éristiquetype of dialogue
German eristisch, Eristiker
- eristischprovoking
- Eristikerone who is disputatious
- Eristiktype of dialogue
Italian eristica
- eristicatype of dialogue
Polish erystyka
- erystykatype of dialogue
Spanish erística
- erísticatype of dialogue
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
eristic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eristic
“eristic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eristic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eristic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eristic.
Source: eristic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.