Synonyms of bogus

bogus

adjective

ˈbō-gəs 

1

as in fake

being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

for that price, you're only going to get furniture covered in bogus leather and not the real stuff

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fake
• faux
• synthetic
• simulated
• artificial
• false
• dummy
• imitation
• imitative
• mock
• ersatz
• sham
• manufactured
• factitious
• counterfeit
• substitute
• pretend
• mimic
• deceptive
• designer
• process
• man-made
• fraudulent
• manipulated
• misleading
• fabricated
• unauthentic
• forged
• pseudo
• engineered
• concocted
• phony
• cultured
• adulterated
• spurious
• doctored
• fudged
• feigned
• affected
• juggled
• tampered (with)
• pinchbeck
• brummagem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• genuine
• natural
• true
• legitimate
• authentic
• valuable
• bona fide
• pure
• quality
• premium
• unadulterated

2

as in counterfeit

being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud

the "designer" watches sold on the street are usually bogus

Synonyms & Similar Words

• counterfeit
• fake
• false
• forged
• phony
• spurious
• inauthentic
• sham
• imitation
• ornamental
• snide
• synthetic
• unauthentic
• manufactured
• artificial
• deceptive
• misleading
• mock
• simulated
• dummy
• factitious
• substitute
• fabricated
• mimic
• cultured
• nonfunctioning
• delusive
• man-made

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• genuine
• authentic
• bona fide
• natural
• actual
• true
• unfaked
• valid

3

as in false

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

there was often a lot of bogus conviviality at the company's parties

Synonyms & Similar Words

• false
• mock
• fake
• unnatural
• strained
• exaggerated
• pseudo
• mechanical
• phony
• spurious
• artificial
• simulated
• affected
• contrived
• sham
• assumed
• plastic
• factitious
• forced
• feigned
• cute
• theatrical
• pretended
• unreal
• put-on
• hollow
• automatic
• empty
• unrealistic
• manufactured
• unauthentic
• hypocritical
• pat
• calculated
• formal
• insincere
• fabricated
• deliberate
• canned
• hokey
• concocted
• labored
• stiff
• melodramatic
• conventional
• facile
• unctuous
• wooden
• histrionic
• conscious
• impersonal
• stylized
• mealy
• rigid
• cultivated
• premeditated
• two-faced
• cutesy
• artful
• mealymouthed
• overdone
• genteel
• simpering
• double-dealing
• inflexible
• studied
• mincing
• overacted
• goody-goody
• overrefined
• left-handed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• genuine
• real
• true
• natural
• spontaneous
• unaffected
• authentic
• realistic
• artless
• right
• bona fide
• sincere
• honest
• easy
• ingenuous
• unforced
• unfeigned
• uncontrived
• smooth
• effortless
• unconscious
• impromptu
• instinctive
• impulsive
• extemporaneous
• unpretending
• unstudied
• unrehearsed
• unprompted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bogus

But Upchurch, with more than two decades of Medicare expertise, doesn't blame beneficiaries for not paying attention or for assuming Wellcare's messages were bogus. — Susan Jaffe, NPR, 6 July 2026

Guo was convicted of nine of 12 criminal charges during a seven-week trial that prosecutors said showcased his deception of thousands of investors in bogus deals that enabled Guo’s lavish lifestyle. — CNN Money, 30 June 2026

From May 2022 to August 2023, prosecutors allege, Mareik had Patricia Anderson of West Hills sign off on bogus prescriptions for patients Anderson had not seen or that weren’t medically necessary, amounting to $270 million billed to Medi-Cal and $178 million of which Medi-Cal paid out. — Andrea Klick, Daily News, 23 June 2026

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Digital on Monday that the FBI has looked into numerous ransom demands since the beginning of the investigation, with some being bogus and others with the potential to be real. — Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026

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