bogus

adjective

bo·​gus ˈbō-gəs 

: not genuine : counterfeit, sham

a bogus claim

The evidence was completely bogus.

bogusly adverb

bogusness noun

Did you know?

Bogus Has a Long History

In the early 19th century, a "bogus" was a machine used to make counterfeit coins. No one knows for sure how this coin-copying contraption got its name, but before long bogus became a name for funny money or for a fraudulent imitation of any kind. The more common "phony" adjective followed.

Synonyms

• artificial
• dummy
• ersatz
• factitious
• fake
• false
• faux
• imitation
• imitative
• man-made
• mimic
• mock
• pretend
• sham
• simulated
• substitute
• synthetic

Examples of bogus in a Sentence

It was just a bogus claim.

The evidence was completely bogus.

Recent Examples on the Web

In January, Jay Ashcroft, the Republican secretary of state in Missouri, was ordered from his house at gunpoint by armed officers responding to a bogus call that there had been a shooting at his home. —Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 19 May 2024

That has included recommendations for a bogus preventive treatment for a waterborne bacterial disease. —Mauricio Savarese and Gabriela Sá Pessoa, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

obsolete argot bogus counterfeit money

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

bogus

adjective

bo·​gus ˈbō-gəs 

: not genuine : counterfeit, sham