blarney 1 of 2

noun

ˈblär-nē How to pronounce blarney (audio)
Definition of blarneynext
1
as in flattery
excessive praise laid the blarney on thick in order to get special treatment from the waitress

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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

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blarney

2 of 2

verb

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

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2
as in to honey
to praise too much an eager, young assistant who blarneys the boss shamelessly

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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
Noun
Dinner, blarney and shenanigans with music and entertainment from Todd Menton (founder of Boiled in Lead), Peter Guertin, The O’Shea Irish Dancers and Katie McMahon (voice of River Dance). — Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for blarney
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blarney
  1. flattery
  2. nonsense
  3. coax
  4. honey
  5. praise
  6. nuts
  7. stroke
  8. adulation
Noun
  • Sanghee, who has a day job importing snacks and shoots short films in her spare time, spends two days with the family as old secrets, unsolicited advice and hollow flattery come to the surface.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 July 2026
  • Rutte’s approach of using flattery to win over the president prompted some to question whether this had delivered any tangible benefits for the alliance.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 9 July 2026
Definition of flattery
Noun
  • Until recently, that would have sounded like absolute nonsense.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • There weren’t meetings with executives about tone and mood and all this nonsense.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of nonsense
Verb
  • But Gannon will have to use both strategy and motivational skills to coax the unit towards improvement in this game-defining category.
    — Mike Jones, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • The team is working on building ribosomes from genetic instructions, a process that involves synthesizing the dozens of proteins and RNA strands involved and coaxing them to assemble in the right order.
    — Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 14 July 2026
Definition of coax
Verb
  • Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.
    — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
Definition of honey
Noun
  • But amid the praise, Clark made sure to commend her teammates, too.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • While the building initially drew praise for its architecture and ambitious curatorial direction, a subsequent Curbed investigation introduced a more complicated picture of the project.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of praise
Noun
  • Berries, spinach, chia and nuts add micronutrients that refined carbs cannot deliver.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 15, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • Accompanied by her family, the writer came to find all kinds of natural abundance, from bay nuts on the roadside to chanterelles in the forest.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of nuts
Verb
  • There are many outcomes that stroke our ego — a distribution deal, a theater count, a Rotten Tomatoes score, impressions or even followers on social media.
    — Daren Smith, IndieWire, 8 July 2026
  • Medina cuts the ball back, Almada dummies it intelligently and, when the ball reaches him, Messi has enough space to stroke a first-time shot into the net.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of stroke
Noun
  • The people standing included A-list Hollywood stars and world leaders, all giving the Prince and Princess of Wales a very public show of respect and adulation.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
  • Fans showered Ovechkin with cheers and adulation, despite his refusal to acknowledge the surrounding uncertainty.
    — Sean Gentille, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of adulation

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blaring
blarney
blarneyed
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Cite this Entry

“Blarney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blarney. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blarney

Nglish: Translation of blarney for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blarney

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