Meanings
comparative more sophistical · superlative most sophistical
- Fallacious, misleading or incorrect in logic or reasoning, especially intentionally.
Assuming other people to be as sophistical as ourselves, and as intent as we upon winning the argument, they are likely to be no more honest than we.
2011, Theodore Dalrymple, Spoilt Rotten: The Toxic Cult of Sentimentality1 more example
This is, we believe, a fair summary of Mr. Lamb's doctrine. We are sure that we do not wish to represent him unfairly. […] But we must plainly say that his argument, though ingenious, is altogether sophistical.
1841, Thomas Macaulay, Lord Byron and The Comic Dramatists of the Restoration
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsophisticālis
- Middle Englishsophistical
- Englishsophistical
From Middle English sophistical, sophisticale, sophisticall, from Anglo-Latin sophisticālis, equivalent to sophist + -ical.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
sophistical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sophistical
“sophistical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sophistical. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sophistical,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sophistical.
Source: sophistical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.