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

The yearslong case against six Nevada Republicans who were accused of submitting a bogus certificate that falsely declared Donald Trump the winner of the state’s 2020 presidential election has been dismissed, a judge ruled Thursday. — Jessica Hill, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

The officer, Elizabeth Snowman, was accused of inputting bogus reasons for her searches into the system, including traffic infractions and burglary. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026

In one such example, the Government Accountability Office in 2009 tested whether a group of for-profit IRBs could successfully detect a bogus unethical research protocol and reject it. — Angus Chen, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026

Across three experiments, participants received failure feedback on a bogus intelligence test. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

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