1
as in flattery
excessive praise
laid the blarney on thick in order to get special treatment from the waitress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
his excuse was his usual blarney about how he'd love to help out but he was just so darned busy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to coax
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
attendants at the nursing home sometimes have to blarney the patients to take their medicine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
an eager, young assistant who blarneys the boss shamelessly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 blarney
Clay Risen,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2022
After years of listening to Boris Johnson’s blarney, many Britons have had their fill, at least for now, of hot air cleverly channelled.
—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2022
This might come as a surprise given the outsized and blarney-filled headlines on social media to the contrary.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
4 June 2022
Menu: soda bread with Irish whiskey butter and fried cabbage and rashers; pork bangers and Irish colcannon with red onion gravy and blarney stones and Irish bananas.
—
Gege Reed,
The Courier-Journal,
9 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for blarney
Noun
To many would-be publishers, the title sounded like a bunch of blarney — even in the early 1990s, many people still considered Ireland a conservative backwater and a cultural appendage to Britain.
—
Clay Risen,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2022
After years of listening to Boris Johnson’s blarney, many Britons have had their fill, at least for now, of hot air cleverly channelled.
—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2022
This might come as a surprise given the outsized and blarney-filled headlines on social media to the contrary.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
4 June 2022
Menu: soda bread with Irish whiskey butter and fried cabbage and rashers; pork bangers and Irish colcannon with red onion gravy and blarney stones and Irish bananas.
—
Gege Reed,
The Courier-Journal,
9 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for blarney
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blarney
Noun
-
The real danger is not the flattery itself.
-
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and that's exactly why beautiful paint colors are subject to overuse.
Noun
-
Even Hauser can’t rescue this culturally insensitive, stereotype-perpetuating nonsense.
-
Some beer companies even make canned versions of the drink, but forget that nonsense — there is nothing better than a fresh, handmade michelada.
Verb
-
Pro-Russian groups are bombarding popular AI systems with propaganda to coax chatbots into regurgitating Kremlin talking points, according to senior European officials, raising concerns ahead of America’s midterm elections about how to respond to the growing attempt to silently manipulate voters.
-
That footage showed that after officers coaxed three people out of the home, Evans emerged barefoot and shirtless, wearing basketball shorts.
Verb
-
Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.
-
Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.
Noun
-
Starmer won praise from many for his international role, especially in bolstering European support for Ukraine.
-
Germany's head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, gave Ecuador its deserved praise for the win today, saying his own team failed to find its rhythm in the second half.
Noun
-
Her lab has found even modest additions to the diet — a handful of nuts or an avocado — can enrich certain beneficial bacteria over the course of a few weeks.
-
Including foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts, or seeds can make your meal more satisfying and may also stimulate digestion.
Verb
-
But Argentina’s talisman stroked it wide of the net.
-
The responder then bends down to gently stroke the bird before getting another idea.
Noun
-
Each member derives her own realizations from this experience, with its dual crucibles of grindingly hard work and pop adulation.
-
Hymns of praise and adulation are sung in honour of both men.
Cite this Entry
“Blarney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blarney. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
