What does "casuistry" mean?

The process of answering practical questions via interpretation of rules, or of cases that illustrate such rules, especially in ethics; case-based reasoning.

How do you pronounce "casuistry"?

Pronounced //ˈkæzjuːɪstɹi//.

Casuistry

Q: What is a synonym for "casuistry"?

Common synonyms include: aesthetics, altruistic ethics, apologetics, apologia, apology, apparent soundness.

//ˈkæzjuːɪstɹi// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1
The process of answering practical questions via interpretation of rules, or of cases that illustrate such rules, especially in ethics; case-based reasoning. countable, uncountable
"Cages for Gnats, and Chains to Yoak a Flea; Dry'd Butterflies, and Tomes of Caſuiſtry"
2
moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas wordnet
3
A specious argument designed to defend an action or feeling. countable, derogatory, uncountable
"I felt it was hopeless to argue against casuistry of this nature, which, if it were carried to its logical conclusion, would absolutely destroy all morality, as we understand it."
4
argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

aesthetics altruistic ethics apologetics apologia apology apparent soundness

Example

More examples

"Cages for Gnats, and Chains to Yoak a Flea; Dry'd Butterflies, and Tomes of Caſuiſtry"

Etymology

From casuist + -ry. First use appears c. 1712-1714. See cite below.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.