1. involving or characterized by the use of clever but misleading reasoning, especially to justify something morally questionable
Usage: often pejorative; formal
2. relating to casuistry; concerned with the application of moral principles to specific cases or situations
Usage: formal; theological/philosophical context

Examples

• His casuistic argument tried to justify the unethical decision by twisting the facts.
• The lawyer's casuistic reasoning convinced some jurors, though it lacked genuine merit.
• She dismissed his casuistic explanations as mere word games designed to avoid responsibility.
• The politician's casuistic defense of the policy relied on technical loopholes rather than principle.
• Medieval theologians engaged in casuistic analysis of moral dilemmas.
• His casuistic approach to the rules allowed him to bend them without technically breaking them.