straw man
noun
1
: a weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted
2
: a person set up to serve as a cover for a usually questionable transaction
Examples of straw man in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, every good straw man has a kernel of truth to it.
—
Samuel Clowes Huneke, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2023
And nearly three hours is a long time to spend with only one real person, who keeps getting attacked by straw men.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
That both consider realism’s antecedents and insights without using some variant of liberalism as a straw man is equally impressive.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
But again, that's a straw man—no one was arguing that backcountry streams were the main source of Giardia infections.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2018
Once again those with a global agenda have created a straw man by misrepresenting the position of their critics.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2011
Dominic Carter does his best with the character of Dr. George Seward, the head physician of the asylum, though Seward is a caricature of male pomposity, an endlessly mansplaining straw man set up only to be knocked down.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2022
Evison says book banning is a political straw man, and the stakes are much higher than just the books being targeted.
—Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022
Samuel Clowes Huneke, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2023
And nearly three hours is a long time to spend with only one real person, who keeps getting attacked by straw men.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
That both consider realism’s antecedents and insights without using some variant of liberalism as a straw man is equally impressive.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
But again, that's a straw man—no one was arguing that backcountry streams were the main source of Giardia infections.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2018
Once again those with a global agenda have created a straw man by misrepresenting the position of their critics.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2011
Dominic Carter does his best with the character of Dr. George Seward, the head physician of the asylum, though Seward is a caricature of male pomposity, an endlessly mansplaining straw man set up only to be knocked down.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2022
Evison says book banning is a political straw man, and the stakes are much higher than just the books being targeted.
—Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'straw man.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Straw man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straw%20man. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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