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Presenting a pleasing appearance; pleasing in form or look; showy. Some [serpents] specious and beautiful to the eye. Bp. Richardson. The rest, far greater part, Will deem in outward rites and specious forms Religion satisfied. Milton.

r exultation, with a view to self-commendation; to extol. Lest bad men should boast Their specious deeds. Milton.

Anything that wants firmness or solidity; that which is more specious than real; a false show; a cheat or fraud; a delusive scheme; an empty project; a dishonest speculation; as, the South Sea bubble. Then a soldier . . . Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. Shak.

or alter, as if by dyeing or painting; to give a false appearance to; usually, to give a specious appearance to; to cause to appear attractive; to make plausible; to palliate or excuse; as, the facts were colored by his prejudices. He colors the falsehood of Æneas by an express command from Jupiter to forsake the quee…

Specious; plausible; having an appearance of right or justice. "Colorable pretense for infidility." Bp. Stillingfleet. -- Col"or*a*ble*ness, n. -- Col"or*a*bly, adv. Colorable and subtle crimes, that seldom are taken within the walk of human justice. Hooker.

Specious; plausible; aborned so as to appear well; as, a highly colored description. Sir G. C. Lewis. His colored crime with craft to cloke. Spenser.

To cover with a specious or deceitful exterior; to disguise; to conceal. So smooth he daubed his vice with show of virtue. Shak.

A daubing; specious coloring; false pretenses. She works by charms, by spells, by the figure, and such daubery as this is. Shak.

A leader of the rabble; one who attempts to control the multitude by specious or deceitful arts; an unprincipled and factious mob orator or political leader.

A specious but fallacious argument; a sophism.

To be showy, specious, or striking, and hence attractive; as, the glittering scenes of a court.

A specious appearance; superficial quality or show. To me more dear, congenial to my heart, One native charm than all the gloss of art. Goldsmith.

Like gloss; specious. Cowley.

Smooth; specious; plausible; as, glossy deceit.

To give a specious or false meaning; to ministerpret. Shak.

To go in order to meet; to make reply. [Obs.] I must occur to one specious objection. Bentley.

The quality of being plausible; speciousness. To give any plausibility to a scheme. De Quincey.

Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious; as, a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion. "Plausible and popular arguments." Clarendon.

Plausible, specious. [Obs.] Shak.

The quality or state of being pliant in sense; as, the pliancy of a rod. "Avaunt all specious pliancy of mind." Wordsworth.