strawman

S1T1R1A1W4M3A1N1

A form of straw man — A doll or scarecrow, particularly one stuffed with straw.

Similar
straw manscarecrowbird-scarerscarerfront man
UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

nounstrawman (plural strawmen)

plural strawmen

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of straw man.
verbstrawman (third-person singular simple present strawmans, present participle strawmanning, simple past and past participle strawmanned)

present singular third person strawmans · participle present strawmanning · participle past strawmanned · past strawmanned

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of straw man.

    We are also charged with strawmanning Type la. This is 'boomerang misrepresentation' - a disingenuous tactic deployed by writers in an effort to establish the superiority of their own work when all they are really doing is simply repeating

    2009, Bits of Organization page 44

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted

Similar
straw man
Broader
specious argument

nounan effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds

Similar
scarecrowstraw manbird-scarerscarer
Broader
effigyimagesimulacrum

nouna male person used as a cover for some questionable activity

Similar
straw manfront man
Broader
frontfigureheadnominal headmanadult male
Also see
bird-scarerfront manscarecrowscarerstraw manstrawperson

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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