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spurious

SPYOOR-ee-uhs /ˈspjʊəriəs/

adjectiveC2GRESATGMATIELTS

formalacademicscientific

Not being what it purports to be; false, fake, or counterfeit.

Spurious is used for physical objects (like spurious coins), data (spurious correlations), or claims of origin (spurious documents). It means the thing itself is a fake or does not come from the source it claims.

The story behind the word. Spurious has a harsh historical origin. It comes from the Latin 'spurius', which was used to describe a child born out of wedlock, or of unknown fatherhood (an 'illegitimate' child). In Roman society, such children lacked legal standing, and over time, the word expanded to describe any object, document, or claim that lacked a legitimate origin or was 'fake'.

Word relationships

counterfeit: Counterfeit is used almost exclusively for money, documents, or high-value goods made to look like the original, while spurious is broader and applies to abstract data and claims.
bogus: Bogus is much more informal and colloquial, whereas spurious is preferred in academic and scientific writing.

authentic: Authentic means genuine, real, and originating from the claimed source.
genuine: Genuine refers to something that is truly what it is said to be, without any deception.

Commonly confused with

specious: Specious is for arguments that sound logical but are false. Spurious is for facts, data, or objects that are physically or historically fake.

Word family

spuriously (adverb): In a false or counterfeit manner.
spuriousness (noun): The quality of being false, counterfeit, or illegitimate.

Collocations

spurious correlation
spurious claims
spurious data

Idioms & expressions

phoney baloney
not what it's cracked up to be

Example sentences

"The correlation between ice cream sales and shark attacks is spurious, as both are actually caused by the warm summer weather." A scientific warning about misleading statistical data.
"The museum removed the painting from display after experts determined its signature was spurious and added decades after the artist's death." An art museum identifying a forged painting.

Memory hook

Think of 'spur-of-the-moment'. A 'spurious' excuse is made up on the spur of the moment and is completely fake. A fake coin made on the spur of the moment.

When not to use

Do not use to describe a person's character directly (e.g., 'a spurious man' is incorrect; use 'duplicitous' or 'dishonest' instead). Use it for their claims, data, or possessions.

Fun facts

In statistics, a 'spurious relationship' is a mathematical relationship in which two events or variables have no direct causal connection, yet it may be wrongly inferred that they do.

Explore more words

counterfeit, unsubstantiated, forgery, disingenuous, irrelevant, suborn