argumentum ad hominem
/ Latin (ˌɑːɡjʊˈmɛntʊm æd ˈhɒmɪˌnɛm) /
fallacious argument that attacks not an opponent's beliefs but his motives or character
argument that shows an opponent's statement to be inconsistent with his other beliefs
an instance of either of these
Origin of argumentum ad hominem
1Words Nearby argumentum ad hominem
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use argumentum ad hominem in a sentence
It was a masterful bit of hypocritical eloquence, of argumentum ad hominem; but it was made to simple and illiterate hearers.
The Code of the Mountains | Charles Neville BuckIt was not to this, however, that he directed his objection: the argumentum ad hominem came more easily to him.
The Long Night | Stanley WeymanBut it was the argumentum ad hominem; and if my uncle Toby was not very expert at it, you may think, he might not care to use it.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman | Laurence SterneIn a case like this the argumentum ad hominem, though a perfectly fair one, is a perfectly useless one.
The fallacy in logic known as the argumentum ad hominem becomes a pale thing in comparison with this new argumentum ad terram.
The Birth of Yugoslavia, Volume 1 | Henry Baerlein
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