modus ponendo tollens

noun

A valid form of argument in which the antecedent of a conditional proposition is affirmed, thereby entailing the infirmation of the consequent. Modus ponendo tollens has the form

OriginLatin modus →
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Meanings

nounmodus ponendo tollens (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA valid form of argument in which the antecedent of a conditional proposition is affirmed, thereby entailing the infirmation of the consequent. Modus ponendo tollens has the form

    2. P.

    2 more examples

    1. If P, then non-Q.

    3. Therefore, non-Q.

Origin

  1. Latinmodus
  2. Englishmodus ponendo tollens

Borrowed from Latin modus pōnendō tollens (roughly, “mode where affirming infirms”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Tagalog sayuning-tanggihing panagano
  • sayuning-tanggihing panaganoTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

modus ponendo tollens. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modus%20ponendo%20tollens

MLA

“modus ponendo tollens.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modus%20ponendo%20tollens. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “modus ponendo tollens,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modus%20ponendo%20tollens.

Source: modus ponendo tollens on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.