Advertisement
Advertisement
View synonyms for straw man
straw man
noun
- a mass of straw formed to resemble a man, as for a doll or scarecrow.
- a person whose importance or function is only nominal, as to cover another's activities; front.
- a fabricated or conveniently weak or innocuous person, object, matter, etc., used as a seeming adversary or argument:
The issue she railed about was no more than a straw man.
straw man
straw man
- A made-up version of an opponent's argument that can easily be defeated. To accuse people of attacking a straw man is to suggest that they are avoiding worthier opponents and more valid criticisms of their own position: “His speech had emotional appeal, but it wasn't really convincing because he attacked a straw man rather than addressing the real issues.”
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of straw man1
First recorded in 1585–95
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse