Ad nauseam

This article is about the Latin phrase. For the comedy album by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, see Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam.

Ad nauseam is a Latin term for argument or other discussion that has continued 'to [the point of] nausea'.[1][2] For example, the sentence "This topic has been discussed ad nauseam" signifies that the topic in question has been discussed extensively, and that those involved in the discussion have grown tired of it. The fallacy is also called argumentum ad infinitum ('to infinity'), and argument from repetition.[3]

Applicability

The term (in all three variants) is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as "an argument made repeatedly (possibly by different people) until nobody cares to discuss it any more. This may sometimes, but not always, be a form of proof by assertion."[3]

In other words, it refers not to something initially or topically unpleasant; rather, it is something discussed to the point of being so.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ehrlich, Eugene (1985). Amo, Amas, Amat and More. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers. p. 25.
  2. ↑ "ad nauseam" definitions from Dictionary.com
  3. 1 2 "Ad nauseam". American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved 21 July 2016.

External links


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