Dictionary

sophist en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈsoʊfɪst/ (US)
• /ˈsɒfɪst/ (UK)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin sophista and sophistes, borrowed from Ancient Greek σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “wise one”), from σοφίζομαι (sophízomai, “to become wise”).

Meanings

1. (alt-of, historical) Alternative letter-case form of Sophist, certain teachers in Ancient Greece, particularly skilled orators.
   alt of certain teachers in Ancient Greece
   alt of particularly skilled orators
   alt of Sophist
2. (figuratively) A teacher who uses plausible but fallacious reasoning.
3. (broadly, figuratively) One who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument.
   • [T]hey have acted in this Calumny both the injuſtice of the Tyrant, and the forgery of the Sophiſt. 1699, Richard Bentley, “The Preface”, in A Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris. With an Answer to the Objections of the Honourable Charles Boyle, Esquire, London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for Henry Mortlock […], and John Hartley […], →OCLC, page iii:
4. (dated) Synonym of sophister (“university student who has completed at least one year”).

Forms

Coordinates

sophistress (all senses)

Deriveds

sophistical · sophistic

Relateds

sophism · sophistress · sophisticated · sophister · sophomore · sophistry

Synonyms

sophister · sophister · pilpulist · sophister · logic chopper

Translations (31)

cs sofista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · fa سوفیست (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · ca sofista (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · gl sofista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · eo sofisto (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · pt sofista (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · es sofista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · it sofista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · sv sofist (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · sh sòfist (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · de Sophist (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · da sofist (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · ar سَفْسَطِيّ (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · el σοφιστής (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · de Sophistin (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · ca sofista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · grc σοφιστής (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · ro sofist (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · ro sofist (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · scn sufista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · id sofis (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · sh sòfist (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · de Sophist (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · pt sofista (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · el σοφιστής (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · nl sofist (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · da sofist (ancient teacher of rhetoric, etc.) · cs sofista (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · scn sufista (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · gl sofista (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument) · ar سَفْسَطَائِيّ (one who is captious, fallacious, or deceptive in argument)