Pseudohistory

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    False history. countable, derogatory, uncountable

    "When asked what could possibly justify their aggression, they responded with nothing but pseudohistory and mythology."

  2. 2
    Any work claiming to be a historical account without using established historiographical methods, especially one using personal speculation or questionable evidence without necessary care or concern for the truth. countable, derogatory, uncountable

    "The contemptible trick practised by Mr. Anderson, in the first chapter of his pseudo-history, must not pass without due correction."

Example

More examples

"When asked what could possibly justify their aggression, they responded with nothing but pseudohistory and mythology."

Etymology

From pseudo- + history, coined around 1815, after New Latin pseudo-historia (since 1654 or earlier according to OED).

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