Potemkin village

Definition of Potemkin villagenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Potemkin village Only Alain seems eager to ignore the disinformation and embrace this Potemkin village as the real deal (except when his eyes show a gathering concern). Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025 But his proudest accomplishments amount to little more than a progressive Potemkin village. Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025 Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder portray a married couple who build a Potemkin village of eco-friendly homes and pour-over coffee shops in a struggling New Mexico town. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 But behind the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam threatens to invade the country. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024 The resort reproduces an ancient Apulian town and farmhouse in a project that some locals have likened to a Mediterranean Potemkin village. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 11 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Potemkin village
Noun
  • Unfortunately, all signs point to OLC's opinion being nothing but a legal fig leaf to justify the president's attacks on foreign civilians.
    Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2025
  • Advertisement Xi did not even agree to the fig leaf of structural economic changes.
    Zack Cooper, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Instead, they are isolated in their apartments and communicate exclusively through television screens and only with text.
    Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Chris Rock served as the beloved narrator of Everybody Hates Chris – providing the adult perspective on the childhood experiences shown on screen.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • As an Earth-orbiting spacecraft descends, temperatures of up to 3,500°F bloom across the heat shield at the bottom of the capsule.
    Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Or the good swarm comes to your aid and serves as your shield and protector.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Setting decoys, crafting a blind and getting ready to hunt together, Crowson and I were in our element.
    Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 18 Dec. 2025
  • Why don’t small-town police ever close their interrogation-room blinds?
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Potemkin village.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Potemkin%20village. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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