pseudoarchaeology

pseu·do·ar·chae·o·lo·gy
UK/ˌs(j)uː.dəʊˌɑː.kiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/US/ˌsu.doʊˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/

noun

Pseudoscientific archaeology.

Scrabble 29

Meanings

nounpseudoarchaeology (countable and uncountable, plural pseudoarchaeologies)

plural pseudoarchaeologies · alternative pseudoarcheology

  1. countableuncountablepseudosciencePseudoscientific archaeology.

    The chapters in part 1, “Case Studies in Alternative Constructions of the Past: Methods, Ideologies, and Practitioners,” present examples of the nature and culture of pseudoarchaeologies and related alternative constructions of the past.

    2016, Jeb J. Card, David S. Anderson, editors, Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices, University of Alabama Press, →ISBN, page 14
    1 more example

    Pseudoarchaeology appeals to people who are impatient with the deliberate pace of science and who like to believe that “there is always a faint possibility that…” Some of these “cult archaeologies” show all the signs of becoming personality cults, even religious movements.

    2016, Brian M. Fagan, Nadia Durrani, Archaeology: A Brief Introduction, 12th edition, Routledge, →ISBN, page 45

    Synonyms: alternative archaeology, cult archaeology

Synonyms & antonyms

nounPseudoscientific archaeology.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekψεύδω (pseúdō)
  2. Ancient Greekψευδής (pseudḗs)
  3. Middle Englishpseudo-
  4. Englishpseudo-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-der.?
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ergʰ-der.?
  7. Ancient Greekἄρχω (árkhō)
  8. Ancient Greekἀρχή (arkhḗ)
  9. Ancient Greekἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos)
  10. Proto-Indo-European*leǵ-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*lóǵos
  12. Proto-Hellenic*lógos
  13. Ancient Greekλόγος (lógos)
  14. Ancient Greekἀρχαιολογίᾱ (arkhaiologíā)
  15. Englisharchaeology
  16. Englishpseudoarchaeology

From pseudo- (“fake”) + archaeology.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with pseudoarchaeology

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

pseudoarchaeology. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoarchaeology

MLA

“pseudoarchaeology.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoarchaeology. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pseudoarchaeology,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoarchaeology.

Source: pseudoarchaeology on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.