MEANING
A deductive argument consisting of two premises and a conclusion intended to follow from them in a logical form.
Use it for
logical structure; checking deduction; distinguishing validity from truthLay out the premises and conclusion so the inference can be tested.
Words that belong together
- valid syllogism
- construct a syllogism
- premises of a syllogism
On the page
The teacher rewrote the paragraph as a syllogism with two explicit premises.
A valid syllogism can still begin from a false claim about the world.
The conclusion fails because the syllogism shifts the meaning of its central term.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- syllogism
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Usage notes
Primary category: academic. Formal logic term, useful for inspecting argument structure. A valid form does not guarantee true premises; categorical syllogisms are a familiar specific type. Singular: syllogism; plural: syllogisms. Derived family (not inflections): syllogistic.
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