sunk cost fallacy

/ˌsʌŋk ˌkɒst ˈfæləsi/

continuing something because of previously invested resources

sunk cost fallacy in a sentence

“Staying in a bad job because you've been there for years is the sunk cost fallacy.”

English sunk from Old English sunken submerged + cost from Latin constare to stand firm + fallacy

Related Words

tu quoque

deflecting criticism by pointing to the critic's similar behavior

whataboutism

responding to criticism by pointing to others' faults

appeal to tradition

arguing that something is valid because it has always been done that way

appeal to ignorance

arguing that a conclusion must be true because it has not been proven false

ad hominem

attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself

appeal to authority

using an authority figure's opinion as evidence when they lack relevant expertise