spurious

This term describes things that are deceptive or fraudulent, often possessing a surface-level appearance of legitimacy that masks a lack of authenticity. It is frequently used in intellectual or legal contexts to describe arguments, claims, or evidence that seem plausible at first glance but are logically unsound or intentionally misleading. In a biological or historical context, the word carries a specific connotation of illegitimacy or lack of true parentage. This usage is more formal and archaic compared to its common application in describing fake documents or flawed reasoning.