different between specious vs worthless

English

Etymology

From Latin speci?sus (“good-looking”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?spi???s/
• Rhymes: -i???s

Adjective

specious (comparative more specious, superlative most specious)

1. Seemingly well-reasoned, plausible or true, but actually fallacious.

   Synonyms: fallacious, insincere

   • 1649, John Milton, Eikonoklastes:

     now to the discourse itself, voluble enough, and full of sentence, but that, for the most part, either specious rather than solid, or to his cause nothing pertinent.
2. Employing fallacious but deceptively plausible arguments; deceitful.
   • 1829, William Phelan, Mortimer O'Sullivan, Ireland: A digest taken before Select Committees of the two Houses of Parliament, appointed to inquire into the State of Ireland, 1824—25, in The Christian Review and Clerical Magazine, Volume III, page 472,

     But a third cause of the delusion is, that the Church of Rome has become more specious and deceitful than before the Reformation.

3. Having an attractive appearance intended to generate a favorable response; deceptively attractive.

   Synonyms: meretricious, pretextual

   • 1760, William Warburton, The Lord Bishop of Gloucester's Sermon Preached Before the Right Honourable the House of Lords, January 30, 1760, page 19,

     And could any thing be more ?pecious, or more equal, than that fair di?tribution of power and profit, which men called the NEW MODEL?

   • 1788, Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 59

     This argument, though specious, will not, upon examination, be found solid.

4. (obsolete) Beautiful, pleasing to look at.

Derived terms

• specious present
• specious tiger (Asota speciosa, a species of moth)

Related terms

• speciosity
• speciously
• speciousness

Translations

See also

• spurious

Anagrams

• cosies up

English

Etymology

From Middle English *worthles, from Old English weorþl?as (“worthless”), equivalent to worth +? -less. Cognate with Dutch waardeloos (“worthless”), German wertlos (“worthless”), Swedish värdelös (“worthless”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?w??l?s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?w???l?s/

Adjective

worthless (comparative more worthless or worthlesser, superlative most worthless or worthlessest)

1. Having no worth or use; without value.

   Synonyms: miserable, useless, valueless, inconsequential

   Antonyms: precious, useful, valuable, worthful, worthy

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• Strehlows