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Definition of "casuistry" [cas•u•ist•ry]

  • Specious or excessively subtle reasoning intended to rationalize or mislead. (noun)
  • The determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by analyzing cases that illustrate general ethical rules. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "casuistry" in a sentence
  • "Is not what they call casuistry a science among Roman"
  • "This casuistry is too much for Cromwell, who loses his composure for the first and only time:"
  • "We can see how and why the word casuistry received the particular coloring with which it is now connected."