straw man
/ˈstrɔː mæn/
CommonMisrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.
One of the most commonly called-out logical fallacies online. Accusing someone of a straw man is itself sometimes used to dodge engagement. Not every simplification is a straw man.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I said we should have some regulation and he acted like I want full communism. Classic straw man. | Someone exaggerated a moderate position into an extreme one to discredit it. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | Nobody said that. You're arguing with a straw man. | The person is attacking a position nobody actually holds. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | Every reply to my take is a straw man of what I actually said. | Frustration that nobody is engaging with your real argument. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | Calling everything a straw man is itself a way to avoid engaging. | Overuse of the accusation can be a deflection tactic too. | reddit, 2023 |
Use it when
- Someone is arguing against a distorted version of your position.
- Calling out bad-faith debate tactics.
- Identifying when a rebuttal does not address the actual argument.
Do not use it when
- Someone genuinely misunderstood your point without malice.
- Someone simplified your argument but kept its core intact.
- You mean a literal scarecrow.
Variations and related forms
Straw man vs both-sides
straw man
A straw man distorts one side's position to make it attackable.
VS
both-sides
Both-sides falsely equates two positions as equally valid.
Origin and context
Named after the idea of building a man of straw (a scarecrow-like dummy) and knocking it down instead of fighting the real opponent. A classical rhetorical concept that gained internet shorthand currency in the 2010s debate culture.
- First seen
- pre-internet
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/straw-manUpdated: 2026-08-25License: CC BY 4.0