Pseudoscience
//ˈs(j)uː.dəʊ.saɪ.əns// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any body of knowledge that purports to be scientific or to be supported by science (or may appear to be scientific) but which fails to comply with the scientific method (or rather, is not true science). countable, derogatory, uncountable
"The fantastical pseudo-science of alchemy has in all ages had its numerous votaries …"
- 2 an activity resembling science but based on fallacious assumptions wordnet
- 3 Fictitious science as portrayed in science fiction. countable, uncountable
"It pulls together first-rate pseudo-science and high-grade detective meller of the Spillane school (but entirely clean) and the result is fine read-and-forget entertainment."
Example
More examples"Phrenology was very popular in the 19th century, but nowadays most consider it to be nothing more than a curious pseudoscience."
Etymology
From pseudo- + science, first attested in 1796, in reference to alchemy.
Related phrases
More for "pseudoscience"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.