handwaved
Brushed past carelessly
Handwaved describes something dismissed or glossed over without proper explanation or justification.
The term comes from the gesture of waving one's hand to brush aside concerns.
In technical and academic contexts, it often criticizes reasoning that skips crucial steps: The proof handwaved the hardest part.
In fiction criticism, it describes plot holes or implausibilities that the author simply ignores: The time travel mechanics were completely handwaved.
Rejected with disdain
- scoffedExpressed mocking disbelief
- trivializedMade to seem unimportant
- minimizedReduced to smallest extent
- downplayedMinimized the significance of
belittled · derided · mocked · sneered · disparaged · disdained · scorned · disregarded
Supernatural or illusory power
- technobabbleFake scientific-sounding nonsense
- lampshadedSelf-aware narrative admission
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- unsubstantiatedWithout supporting evidence
unjustified · unsupported · arbitrary · implausible · convenient · pseudo-science · vaporware
pooh-poohed
Rejected with disdain
- scoffedExpressed mocking disbelief
- trivializedMade to seem unimportant
- minimizedReduced to smallest extent
downplayed · belittled · derided · mocked · sneered · disparaged · disdained · scorned · disregarded · discounted
magic
Supernatural or illusory power
- technobabbleFake scientific-sounding nonsense
- lampshadedSelf-aware narrative admission
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
unsubstantiated · unjustified · unsupported · arbitrary · implausible · convenient · pseudo-science · vaporware
sidestepped
Avoided by moving aside
skirted · deflected · finessed · elided · fudged · obfuscated · bluffed · punted · ducked · soft-pedaled
- rejectedrejected, spurned, rebuffed, snubbed, refused
- downplaying tacticsdownplayed, minimized, trivialized, understated, belittled
handwavedproven
Established as fact
substantiated · documented · evidenced · elaborated · spelled out
handwavedworked through
Addressed and resolved fully
interrogated · confronted · unpacked · dug into · picked apart