fallacy

A fallacy is when someone uses a false or misleading argument to convince others. It's like trying to fool people with bad reasoning.

When we talk about fallacies, we usually mean that someone is using a type of flawed thinking that can be easily recognized and challenged. For example, if someone says "Just because many people think it's true, doesn't make it true," but then uses that idea to try to convince others that their own opinion is the truth, they're committing a fallacy called "appeal to popularity." Another common one is when someone tries to win an argument by just repeating what they said before and expecting others to believe it, even if no new evidence was presented – this is known as "argumentum ad nauseam" or "repetition fallacy."