What does spurious mean?
Spurious is an adjective meaning false, deceptive, or lacking genuine basis, especially when something appears credible or legitimate. A spurious claim may sound reasonable but lacks evidence; a spurious resemblance is accidental; and a spurious correlation is an apparent association produced by coincidence or confounding rather than a true causal relationship. In technical contexts, the word describes unwanted or unintended signals, oscillations, or effects. The adjective is formal but broadly understood and often more pointed than merely incorrect: it implies that something has misled the reader or observer by presenting an appearance of truth. Spurious derives from Latin spurius, an old term for illegitimate or false. Its usefulness lies in naming a common source of error—the confident claim, attractive pattern, or stray signal that seems meaningful until examined closely.
adjectiveFalse, unfounded, or misleading, especially because something has the appearance of being genuine, credible, or logically valid. In technical contexts, it may describe a signal, effect, or other phenomenon arising from accidental or unintended causes.
- False, unfounded, or misleading despite appearing genuine, credible, or logically valid.
- Accidental or unwanted, especially a signal, oscillation, or effect arising from an unintended cause.
"The apparent relationship between the two variables proved to be a spurious correlation."
"The apparent relationship between the two variables proved to be a spurious correlation."
"The radio operator dismissed the intermittent transmission as a spurious signal."
From a Latin term for “illegitimate,” spurious became an adjective for anything that looks true but is not.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spurious come from?
The English adjective appeared in the early 17th century, borrowed from Latin spurius, meaning “illegitimate” or “false.” Latin spurius was historically used for offspring born outside marriage and by extension for things lacking proper standing or authenticity. The ultimate origin of the Latin word is uncertain, so more specific proposed derivations should be treated cautiously.
Related word forms
How spurious is actually used
The word is formal in general use and often more pointed than simply incorrect, because it suggests that something has misled an observer by appearing genuine. In engineering and related technical fields, it describes unintended signals, responses, oscillations, or effects.