sophist

(-ist)

noun

  1. in ancient Greece, any of a group of teachers of rhetoric, politics, philosophy, etc., some of whom were notorious for their clever, specious arguments
  2. any person practicing clever, specious reasoning

Origin: L sophista < Gr sophistēs, wise man: see sophism

See sophist in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. a. One skilled in elaborate and devious argumentation.
    b. A scholar or thinker.
  2. Sophist Any of a group of professional fifth-century B.C. Greek philosophers and teachers who speculated on theology, metaphysics, and the sciences, and who were later characterized by Plato as superficial manipulators of rhetoric and dialectic.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English sophiste

Origin: , from Latin sophista

Origin: , from Greek sophistēs

Origin: , from sophizesthai, to become wise

Origin: , from sophos, clever

.

Learn more about sophist

link/cite print suggestion box