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
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 imitation restaurants are a form of flattery, Bob Auerbach, the founder’s stepson, previously told The Times.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Rose said Ye bought into her flattery and liked the idea of drinking booze and playing up his bigshot status.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
Noun
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That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Let’s see if the Pomona Unified School District, which pays thousands of dollars to support its schools’ athletic program, is going to act and stop this nonsense.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In the course of a single session, the harried Paula (played by Tatiana Maslany) gets a hot, younger guy to listen to her complain about her ex-husband, offer feedback on her home-decorating ideas, and coax her into a climax—all in a few short minutes.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
28 May 2026
-
Has anyone had success with these colorful callas, coaxing them to bloom year after year as advertised?—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
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
Noun
-
The strategy has earned bipartisan praise at home, but left her increasingly outside the party’s national resistance movement.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
The show closed early after a panning in the press, but Waddingham’s turn as Toulouse-Lautrec’s lover, Suzanne Valadon, was singled out for praise.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, milk and nuts are included in the nine leading causes of food allergies in the United States.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
-
Flavors unfold in deliberate waves, featuring rich caramel and butterscotch, then roasted nuts, milk chocolate, and a touch of baking spices.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Mihyia Davis stroked the next pitch off Slimp’s glove in left for a double and Williams moved to third.—
Tim Willert,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
After a popout to second by first baseman Jordan Woolery, shortstop Aleena Garcia stroked an RBI single to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
His father eventually joined him to receive the crowd’s adulation.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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In a way that no championship trophy ever could, Kirby Smart has an opportunity to take action that would bring him undying respect and adulation.—
Ken Sugiura,
AJC.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blarney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blarney. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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