1
as in flattery
excessive praise
laid the blarney on thick in order to get special treatment from the waitress
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
an eager, young assistant who blarneys the boss shamelessly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blarney
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
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
Noun
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The real danger is not the flattery itself.
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Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and that's exactly why beautiful paint colors are subject to overuse.
Noun
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Even Hauser can’t rescue this culturally insensitive, stereotype-perpetuating nonsense.
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Some beer companies even make canned versions of the drink, but forget that nonsense — there is nothing better than a fresh, handmade michelada.
Verb
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Imanaga recovered a bit after the leadoff home run, but the Cardinals lineup coaxed long at-bats and drove up his pitch count, chasing the left-hander from the game after 4 2/3 innings.
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With such flexibility, this kind of synthetic cell could eventually be coaxed to create new materials, such as biofuels and drugs, and help researchers study disease.
Verb
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Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.
Noun
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His celebratory words marking its 250th anniversary included not only the traditional paeans to the Founders but also a dose of personal grievance, plus soaring praise for his own achievements.
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This comes as the ex-Apprentice host on July 3 tossed some praise Clinton’s way in a book reading event with Second Lady Usha Vance on the latter’s podcast.
Noun
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Granola One of the original ‘health foods,’ granola contains many nutritious ingredients, such as oats, nuts, and seeds.
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California's Central Valley, stretching some 20,000 square miles (51,800 square kilometers), is an agricultural powerhouse that's estimated to produce 40% of the nation's fruits, nuts and other table foods, including most of its nectarines.
Verb
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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.
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But Argentina’s talisman stroked it wide of the net.
Noun
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Fans showered Ovechkin with cheers and adulation, despite his refusal to acknowledge the surrounding uncertainty.
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Each member derives her own realizations from this experience, with its dual crucibles of grindingly hard work and pop adulation.
Cite this Entry
“Blarney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blarney. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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