An evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections.

synonyms: cavil, quibble.

Roget 477: intuition, instinct, association, hunch, gut feeling; presentiment, premonition; rule of thumb; superstition; astrology^†; faith (supposition) 514.    sophistry, paralogy^†, perversion, casuistry, jesuitry, equivocation, evasion; chicane, chicanery; quiddet^†, quiddity; mystification; special pleading; speciousness etc. adj.; nonsense etc. 497; word sense, tongue sense.    false reasoning, vicious reasoning, circular reasoning; petitio principii [Lat.], ignoratio elenchi [Lat.]; post hoc ergo propter hoc [Lat.]; non sequitur, ignotum per ignotius [Lat.].    misjudgment etc. 481; false teaching etc. 538.    sophism, solecism, paralogism^†; quibble, quirk, elenchus^†, elench^†, fallacy, quodlibet, subterfuge, subtlety, quillet^†; inconsistency, antilogy^†; a delusion, a mockery, and a snare" [Denman]; claptrap, cant, mere words; lame and impotent conclusion" [Othello]. meshes of sophistry, cobwebs of sophistry; flaw in an argument; weak point, bad case.    overrefinement^†; hairsplitting etc. v.. ... show more

Roget 842: wit, humor, wittiness; sense of humor; attic wit, attic salt; atticism^†; salt, esprit, point, fancy, whim, drollery, pleasantry.    farce, buffoonery, fooling, tomfoolery; shenanigan [U.S.], harlequinade etc. 599^†; broad farce, broad humor; fun, espieglerie [Fr.]; vis comica [Lat.].    jocularity; jocosity, jocoseness^†; facetiousness; waggery, waggishness; whimsicality; comicality etc. 853.    banter, badinage, retort, repartee, smartness, ready wit, quid-pro-quo; ridicule etc. 856.    jest, joke, jape, jibe; facetiae [Lat.], levity, quips and cranks; capital joke; canorae nugae [Lat.]; standing jest, standing joke, private joke, conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity, concetto^†, plaisanterie [Fr.], brilliant idea; merry thought, bright thought, happy thought; sally; flash of wit, flash of merriment; scintillation; mot [Fr.], mot pour rire [Fr.]; witticism, smart saying, bon-mot, jeu d'esprit [Fr.], epigram; jest book; dry joke, quodlibet, cream of the jest.    word-play, jeu de mots [Fr.]; play of words, play upon words; pun, punning; double entente, double entendre [Fr.] etc. (ambiguity) 520; quibble, verbal quibble; conundrum etc. (riddle) 533; anagram, acrostic, double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade^†.    old joke, tired joke, flat joke, Joe Miller^†.    ... show more

Roget 5: intrinsicality^†, inbeing^†, inherence, inhesion^†; subjectiveness; ego; egohood^†; essence, noumenon; essentialness^† etc. adj.; essential part, quintessence, incarnation, quiddity, gist, pith, marrow, core, sap, lifeblood, backbone, heart, soul; important part etc. (importance) 642.    principle, nature, constitution, character, type, quality, crasis^†, diathesis^†.    habit; temper, temperament; spirit, humor, grain; disposition.    endowment, capacity; capability etc. (power) 157.    moods, declensions, features, aspects; peculiarities etc. (speciality) 79; idiosyncrasy, oddity; idiocrasy etc. (tendency) 176; diagnostics.    ... show more

Dutch: haarkloverij

The essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other.

synonym: haecceity.