special pleading

1. 1.

   an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence

   Broaderspecious argument
2. 2.

   (law) a pleading that alleges new facts in avoidance of the opposing allegations

   Broaderpleading

   law

Questions about special pleading

What does special pleading mean?

special pleading means "an argument that ignores all unfavorable evidence". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

Is special pleading a common word?

special pleading is banded "Rare" — specialist or archaic — most readers will not have met it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.