What does "sophistic" mean?
The sophists of antiquity, in general or of a specific period; their beliefs and method.
Sophistic
adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The sophists of antiquity, in general or of a specific period; their beliefs and method.
- Grammar: sophistic is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: sophistical, baseless, bogus, captious.
- Useful contrasts: candor, plain, sound.
- Usage evidence: […] he is simply translating into Marxian terms the Sophistic view “that the more powerful will always take advantage of the weaker, and will give the name of law and justice to whatever they lay down in their own interests.”
How to use "sophistic"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sophistic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sophistic" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Check whether "sophistic" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The sophists of antiquity, in general or of a specific period; their beliefs and method. historical
"But when we consider his wish to reconcile Philosophy and Rhetoric, it must be remembered that, if the new Sophistic differed in most of its essential features from the Sophistic of Plato’s contemporaries, it was Philosophy as conceived by Isocrates rather than Plato that Themistius had in mind."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of sophistic. alt-of
Adjective
- 1 Pertaining to the ancient sophists.
"[…] he is simply translating into Marxian terms the Sophistic view “that the more powerful will always take advantage of the weaker, and will give the name of law and justice to whatever they lay down in their own interests.”"
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of sophistic (“pertaining to the sophists”). alt-of
- 3 Sophistical.
Adjective
- 1 plausible but misleading wordnet
- 2 of or pertaining to sophists wordnet
Example
"[…] he is simply translating into Marxian terms the Sophistic view “that the more powerful will always take advantage of the weaker, and will give the name of law and justice to whatever they lay down in their own interests.”"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sophistic"?
Common synonyms include: sophistical, baseless, bogus, captious, casuistic, casuistical.
How do you use "sophistic" in a sentence?
[…] he is simply translating into Marxian terms the Sophistic view “that the more powerful will always take advantage of the weaker, and will give the name of law and justice to whatever they lay down in their own interests.”
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin sophisticus, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek σοφιστικός (sophistikós); morphologically, from sophist + -ic.