Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
A specific form of Argumentum Ad Argumentum where adverse information about an argument is presented preemptively, before the argument itself is even made, with the intention of discrediting or ridiculing it in advance. The audience is primed to reject whatever follows based on its perceived category or affiliation. Classic example: "This is just relativism" or "This is postmodernism" said before someone presents a view that might be labeled as such. The poison works before the argument has a chance to speak. The audience is now inoculated: anything that sounds remotely like relativism is already dismissed, regardless of its actual content or merit. Poisoning the Argument is rhetorical preemptive strike—killing the argument before it's born, not by addressing its claims but by tainting its category.
Text fits
Save
Cancel