Synonyms of bluffing

bluffing 1 of 2

adjective

as in pretending

Related Words

• pretending
• duplicitous
• hypocritical
• insincere
• dissimulating
• dissembling
• unscrupulous
• equivocating
• posing
• evasive
• untrustworthy
• unreliable
• unbelievable
• deceptive
• treacherous
• deceitful
• wily
• sneaky
• undependable
• underhanded
• sly
• tricky
• lying
• devious
• artful
• slick
• slippery
• fallacious
• untrue
• dishonest
• fibbing
• mendacious
• prevaricating
• false
• untruthful

Dissimilar Words

• truthful
• honest
• plain
• direct
• veracious
• open
• frank
• forthcoming
• outspoken
• forthright
• candid
• true
• credible
• believable
• out-front
• veritable
• plainspoken
• free-spoken
• freehearted
• openhearted
• foursquare

bluffing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bluff

1

as in fooling

to cause to believe what is untrue

I bluffed the interviewer into believing that I could really speak French and thus would be the perfect person to serve in the newspaper's Paris bureau

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fooling
• tricking
• deceiving
• kidding
• teasing
• conning
• cheating
• misleading
• duping
• deluding
• hoodwinking
• gulling
• snookering
• bamboozling
• hoaxing
• misinforming
• juggling
• suckering
• humbugging
• gaffing
• misguiding
• spoofing
• cozening
• sucking in
• catching
• stringing along
• stinging
• snowing
• gammoning
• faking out
• beguiling
• taking in
• burning
• having
• having on
• buffaloing
• hornswoggling
• doing a number on
• pulling one's leg
• leading one down the garden path
• pulling the wool over one's eyes
• swindling
• sticking
• fleecing
• defrauding
• hustling
• bleeding
• rooking
• mulcting
• putting on
• shortchanging
• chiseling
• squeezing
• flimflamming
• euchring
• diddling
• skinning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• revealing
• exposing
• uncovering
• telling
• disclosing
• unmasking
• debunking
• showing up
• divulging
• undeceiving
• unveiling
• uncloaking
• disillusioning
• disabusing
• disenchanting

2

as in assuming

to present a false appearance of

the basketball player bluffed a shot, then passed instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pretending
• assuming
• simulating
• acting
• feigning
• affecting
• faking
• passing (for)
• dissembling
• counterfeiting
• shamming
• concealing
• posing
• professing
• playing
• forging
• putting on
• making believe
• imitating
• masquerading
• dissimulating
• disguising
• impersonating
• masking
• playacting
• camouflaging
• feinting
• malingering
• letting on

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bluffing

Verb

The plan for the stadium could still collapse; the Bears’ billionaire owners could be bluffing to secure an Arlington Heights deal. — Gretchen Kalwinski, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026

If the prover is bluffing, the verifier will almost certainly find a flaw in the coloring after enough guesses. — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2026

That could mean sneaking into hospitals, or bluffing their way into funerals. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 Mar. 2026

And sometimes bluffing goes beyond saving face. — Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026

But some politicians and economists say the billionaires are largely bluffing. — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026

Cue a total lockdown of the hospital as everyone tries to figure out if the guy was bluffing, all while putting out the fires (and tending to the victims) left by the explosion. — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026

After successfully bluffing his way into the house, Tom fumbles an attempt to hide his reasons for being there, leading Robbie to take him hostage. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025

But Zelensky said Wednesday that the Russian leader was bluffing. — Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025