1. of, relating to, or characterized by debate or argument, especially debate aimed at winning rather than finding truth
Usage: formal; often used in philosophical or rhetorical contexts

Examples

• The professor criticized the student's eristic approach, which prioritized winning the debate over discovering the truth.
• His eristic style of conversation made it difficult to have a genuine discussion with him.
• Ancient Greek philosophers distinguished between dialectic reasoning and eristic tactics.
• She adopted an eristic tone when defending her thesis, focusing on refuting opponents rather than building consensus.
• The debate devolved into eristic point-scoring instead of substantive analysis.
• Eristic arguments often rely on rhetorical tricks rather than sound logic.