pseudoscientific

pseu·do·sci·en·tif·ic
/ˌsuː.dəʊ̯ˌsaɪ̯.ənˈtɪf.ɪk/UK/ˌsuː.dəʊ̯ˌsʌɪ̯.ənˈtɪf.ɪk/Canada, US/ˌsu.doʊ̯ˌsaɪ̯.ənˈtɪf.ɪk/Australia/ˌsʉː.dəʉ̯ˌsɑe̯.ənˈtɪf.ɪk/

adjective

Of, relating to, or employing pseudoscience; not scientific, though purporting to be scientific.

UncommonScrabble 26

Meanings

adjectivepseudoscientific (comparative more pseudoscientific, superlative most pseudoscientific)

comparative more pseudoscientific · superlative most pseudoscientific · alternative pseudo-scientific

  1. Of, relating to, or employing pseudoscience; not scientific, though purporting to be scientific.

    Some pseudoscientific claims explain what non-believers cannot even observe, e.g. orgone energy, N-rays, or chi.

    2003 August 15 [1994], Robert Todd Carroll, “pseudoscience”, in The Skeptic's Dictionary, →ISBN, →OCLC
    4 more examples

    […] another example of the desire to control deviant lifestyles: the preparation by the FBI of pseudoscientific "profiles" that purport to describe the murderers.

    1983 August 13, Mark McHarry, “FBI”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 5, page 4

    Many postsecondary educators are concerned about the rising tide of pseudoscientific, fundamentally anti-intellectual belief among otherwise well educated Americans.

    1996, Mark E. Ware, David E. Johnson, Handbook of Demonstrations and Activities in the Teaching of Psychology, volume I, →ISBN, page 13

    Don’t let manipulative state legislators misrepresent science and fearmonger you into giving them money. At the very least, don’t let them continue with their false pseudoscientific assertions. Pressure them to do their jobs and introduce real evidence-based legislation – like the Equality Act – that will improve lives.

    2021 June 24, Jack Turban and Jules Gill-Peterson, “Attacks on trans people are also attacks on science itself”, in CNN, archived from the original on 08 Oct 2022

    The trolls did not match the old professional racists’ stuffy style, but they found use in their pseudoscientific graphics.

    2022 May 20, Elle Reeve, “How White ‘replacement theory’ evolved from elderly racists to teens online to the alleged inspiration for another racist mass homicide”, in CNN, archived from the original on 13 Aug 2022

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivebased on theories and methods erroneously regarded as scientific

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekψεύδω (pseúdō)
  2. Ancient Greekψευδής (pseudḗs)
  3. Middle Englishpseudo-
  4. Englishpseudo-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*sek-?
  6. Proto-Indo-European*skey-
  7. Latinsciō
  8. Latinsciēns
  9. Latinscientia
  10. Old Frenchscience
  11. Middle Englishscience
  12. Englishscience
  13. Englishpseudoscience
  14. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  15. Proto-Italic*θakos
  16. Englishscientificinflu.
  17. Englishpseudoscientific

From pseudoscience + -ific, influenced by scientific. By surface analysis, pseudo- + scientific. First attested in 1836.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan pseudocientífic
  • pseudocientíficof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Chinese Mandarin 偽科學的 /伪科学的
  • 偽科學的 /伪科学的 (wěikēxué de)of, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Czech pavědecký, pseudovědecký
  • pavědeckýof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
  • pseudovědeckýof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Danish pseudovidenskabelig
  • pseudovidenskabeligof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Dutch pseudowetenschappelijk
  • pseudowetenschappelijkof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Esperanto pseŭdoscienca
  • pseŭdosciencaof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Finnish pseudotieteellinen, näennäistieteellinen
  • pseudotieteellinenof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
  • näennäistieteellinenof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
French pseudo-scientifique, pseudoscientifique
  • pseudo-scientifiqueof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
  • pseudoscientifiqueof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
German pseudowissenschaftlich, afterwissenschaftlich
  • pseudowissenschaftlichof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
  • afterwissenschaftlichof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
  • scheinwissenschaftlichof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Hungarian áltudományos
  • áltudományosof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Japanese 疑似科学的
  • 疑似科学的 (gijikagakuteki)of, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Norwegian Bokmål pseudovitenskapelig
  • pseudovitenskapeligof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Polish pseudonaukowy
  • pseudonaukowyof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Portuguese pseudocientífico
  • pseudocientíficoof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Russian псевдонау́чный
  • псевдонау́чный (psevdonaúčnyj)of, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Spanish pseudocientífico
  • pseudocientíficoof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Swedish pseudovetenskaplig
  • pseudovetenskapligof, relating to, or employing pseudoscience
Ukrainian псевдонауко́вий
  • псевдонауко́вий (psevdonaukóvyj)of, relating to, or employing pseudoscience

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with pseudoscientific

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

pseudoscientific. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoscientific

MLA

“pseudoscientific.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoscientific. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pseudoscientific,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoscientific.

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