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
• insincere
• calculated
• formal
• fabricated
• deliberate
• canned
• hokey
• concocted
• labored
• melodramatic
• conventional
• stiff
• facile
• unctuous
• wooden
• histrionic
• conscious
• impersonal
• stylized
• mealy
• rigid
• premeditated
• cultivated
• 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

Bad tax advice promoted on social media We've been warned in the past about a flurry of bad tax advice by social media influencers that drove thousands of taxpayers to file bogus tax returns that claimed inflated refunds. — Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Nearly 3,000 bogus nursing credentials Noreus served as president of Carleen Home Health School in Plantation and was also involved in Carleen Home Health School II in West Palm Beach. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

There have been concerns raised about bogus polls, including the revelation that a recent poll of the Los Angeles mayoral race. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

However, some of the scenes are known to have been staged or faked, leading some critics to wonder whether other parts of the film were bogus or embellished. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

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