Synonyms of humbug

humbug 1 of 2

noun

ˈhəm-ˌbəg 

1

as in hoax

an imitation that is passed off as genuine

tests showed that the "old" map of America was a cleverly made humbug

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hoax
• counterfeit
• sham
• phony
• copy
• fake
• forgery
• reproduction
• bastard
• replica
• synthetic
• swindle
• spoof
• copycat
• imposture
• knockoff
• fraud
• simulation
• dummy
• facsimile
• shoddy
• gaff
• duffer
• mock-up
• brummagem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• original

2

as in nonsense

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

those UFO stories are a lot of humbug

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nonsense
• nuts
• blah
• garbage
• rubbish
• silliness
• stupidity
• drool
• humbuggery
• jazz
• absurdity
• bunk
• bunkum
• hokum
• balderdash
• twaddle
• claptrap
• piffle
• foolishness
• muck
• hogwash
• trumpery
• craziness
• poppycock
• baloney
• flapdoodle
• insanity
• guff
• fudge
• tommyrot
• tosh
• beans
• folderol
• hooey
• blatherskite
• malarkey
• rot
• madness
• absurdness
• bosh
• trash
• bilge
• blither
• crock
• fiddlesticks
• codswallop
• punk
• fiddle
• bull
• blather
• blarney
• folly
• crapola
• drivel
• taradiddle
• hokeypokey
• horsefeathers
• fiddle-faddle
• applesauce
• hoodoo
• flannel
• nerts
• moonshine
• senselessness
• idiocy
• slush
• imbecility
• foolery
• kookiness
• inanity
• tomfoolery
• lunacy
• fatuity
• asininity
• rigmarole
• gas
• witlessness
• hocus-pocus
• greek
• inaneness
• monkey business
• hot air
• double-talk
• shenanigan(s)
• monkeyshine(s)
• hoity-toity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rationality
• reasonableness
• sense
• common sense
• sensibleness
• horse sense
• reasonability
• wisdom
• judgment
• levelheadedness
• discernment

3

as in fraud

one who makes false claims of identity or expertise

one humbug after another claimed to be the miraculously surviving daughter of the Russian czar

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fraud
• sham
• fake
• charlatan
• pretender
• quack
• mountebank
• deceiver
• misleader
• faker
• impostor
• phony
• actor
• fakir
• counterfeiter
• hoaxer
• ringer
• operator
• quacksalver
• sharper
• dissembler
• copycat
• trickster
• swindler
• imitator
• poseur
• skinner
• impersonator
• duper
• mimic
• bluffer
• dodger
• scammer
• defrauder
• fraudster
• scamster
• feigner
• sharpie
• cozener

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• master
• expert
• virtuoso
• authority
• professional
• wizard
• maestro
• whiz
• ace
• crackerjack
• past master
• adept

humbug

2 of 2

verb

as in to fool

to cause to believe what is untrue

humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fool
• trick
• deceive
• delude
• mislead
• hoax
• sucker
• snow
• kid
• tease
• dupe
• con
• gammon
• gull
• bluff
• hoodwink
• bamboozle
• suck in
• misinform
• misguide
• buffalo
• cozen
• hornswoggle
• cheat
• beguile
• gaff
• spoof
• string along
• sting
• juggle
• have on
• burn
• take in
• snooker
• do a number on
• fake out
• have
• catch
• lead one down the garden path
• pull one's leg
• swindle
• pull the wool over one's eyes
• flimflam
• put on
• fleece
• defraud
• hustle
• stick
• mulct
• shortchange
• euchre
• diddle
• bleed
• rook
• chisel
• skin
• squeeze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undeceive
• reveal
• show up
• debunk
• expose
• unmask
• tell
• uncover
• disclose
• divulge
• disillusion
• disabuse
• unveil
• uncloak
• disenchant

Synonym Chooser

How is the word humbug different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of humbug are counterfeit, fake, fraud, imposture, and sham. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When would counterfeit be a good substitute for humbug?

Although the words counterfeit and humbug have much in common, counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When might fake be a better fit than humbug?

The synonyms fake and humbug are sometimes interchangeable, but fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

When can fraud be used instead of humbug?

The words fraud and humbug are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When could imposture be used to replace humbug?

The words imposture and humbug can be used in similar contexts, but imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

When is sham a more appropriate choice than humbug?

While in some cases nearly identical to humbug, sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of humbug

Noun

San Diego theaters have lined up a bounty of seasonal stage shows designed to delight even the biggest humbugs. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2025

These small marine reef fish are often known by the peculiar common name, the humbug damselfish (Figure 1). — Grrlscientist, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

Verb

In its verb form, to be humbugged is to be deceived or be the victim of a hoax. — Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019