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Carmen Zhang
What's the difference between "spurious" and "sham"?
hi, I think these two are synonyms but I'm not sure if they can be used in the same context, or to depict the same kinds of things?
2015년 9월 16일 오후 6:29
답변 · 11
3
They are not quite synonyms.
"spurious" is an adjective which relates to theories and arguments, and means unconvincing, weak, untrustworthy
e.g. His argument that the sun goes round the earth was spurious.
"sham" is a noun and an adjective which means counterfeit, fake and normally applies to events or situations which have been planned in order to deceive
e.g. sham marriages
2015년 9월 16일
1
"Sham" implies deception. It implies a false front or a pretense. "I thought he was on my side, but it was all a sham. He was just pretending to be on my side. He was really working for my enemies."
"Spurious" means invalid or misleading. "The car alarm was set off by a spurious signal from nearby lightning bold."
2015년 9월 16일
The meaning is very similar, but "sham" is a noun, while "spurious" is an adjective, so they cannot be used interchangeably.
2015년 9월 16일
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Carmen Zhang
언어 구사 능력
중국어(북경어), 영어, 일본어
학습 언어
영어
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