1. using clever but misleading or fallacious reasoning
Usage: often derogatory
2. relating to or characteristic of sophists or sophistry
Usage: academic

Examples

• His sophistic arguments failed to convince the jury.
• The politician’s sophistic reasoning masked the flaws in his proposal.
• She dismissed his explanation as merely sophistic wordplay.
• The debate was filled with sophistic tricks rather than genuine discourse.
• Ancient Greek sophistic methods emphasized persuasion over truth.
• The professor criticized the sophistic nature of the student’s thesis.