variants
or phoney-baloney
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
if you believe the company's phony-baloney press releases, it's in business solely for the benefit of mankind
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of phony-baloney
Namely, their own phony-baloney, six-figure jobs.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
The script is by David Koepp (writer of the best Mission: Impossible, the 1996 Brian De Palma iteration), and it’s filled with shimmery red herrings and liberal lashings of phony-baloney techno-spy stuff.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
The script is by David Koepp (writer of the best Mission: Impossible, the 1996 Brian De Palma iteration), and it’s filled with shimmery red herrings and liberal lashings of phony-baloney techno-spy stuff.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phony-baloney
Adjective
-
Authorities made an arrest after a ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Also consider thrifting Christmas décor, such as red or pink bows, which serve double-duty during the holidays.—
Ashley Poskin,
Martha Stewart,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Their inability to execute in the margins proved the difference in a 98-97, double-overtime loss to Indiana.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
-
His 2010 Cy Young victory despite a 13-12 record marked a turning point where win-loss record went from being the most important pitcher stat to one that’s borderline meaningless.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In the Lindbergh case, thousands of phony ransom notes came in, whether from those hungry for cash or notoriety, hoping to get a bite by association with the desperate aviator’s story.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The phony number was accessed by an IP address which was later traced to Callella’s home in California.—
Vivian Kwarm,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Fellow Democrats Tony Thurmond and Antonio Villaraigosa attack Swalwell and Porter as hypocritical, pointing to their own stricter stances on federal immigration enforcement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Democrats, who have routinely fought for stricter gun laws, flatly called the Republican stance on Pretti’s gun hypocritical in interviews with The Star.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Nov. 2025
-
The pop of color offers a shimmer-free (rare!) means of warming up a wedding look and works equally well at lip level.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Brandon Tseng, co‑founder of Shield AI, told CNBC that Hivemind enables other companies and militaries to develop their own artificial-intelligence pilots locally, and Singapore would own that intellectual property.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Sugary drinks are defined as non-alcoholic beverages with natural or artificial sweeteners, or drinks with less than 50% fruit juice.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The medical examiner’s report stated that Lunas Campos had scattered superficial abrasions on his body, hemorrhage in muscles and connective tissues on the neck, and signs of smaller hemorrhaging on the eyelids and skin of the neck.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
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For Julissa Prado, founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, these decisions are not superficial.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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