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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
-
Security company Trend Micro has documented that actors who’ve worked on past operations benefiting the North Korean government have used these addresses, particularly in scams involving fake recruiters.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Faces of Death isn’t a remake of the infamous 1978 exploitation landmark, a faux documentary that positioned itself as an anthology of actual carnage (though much of its disturbing footage was fake).—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Cancer rates are 30% higher in women aged 20-29 (55 versus 42 per 100,000) compared to males and nearly double in those aged 30-39 (161 versus 84 per 100,000), the American Cancer Society states.—
Tesfaye Negussie,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
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The Padres responded in the bottom of the first inning with a double, a walk and a drive by Nick Castellanos to left field that was caught above the eight-foot wall by Jordan Beck.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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My fellow Americans, certain words have been rendered meaningless in describing the current state of affairs.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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Not because of their result at the Clippers on Sunday, a 115-110 loss, but because the Warriors finished the ultimately meaningless game with no new injuries, which is all coach Steve Kerr wanted to see.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Police would soon learn that Lugo was a burley ex-convict who had served time for running a phony loan scam operation.—
Troy Roberts,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Engage in real, ongoing collaborations — not phony one-offs.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
How hypocritical that of me, Amy, and Gretchen, the only one married is me.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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That’s not just awkward; that’s hypocritical.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Such spending flourishes in secrecy, and this year’s artificial rush toward a last-minute deal suggests that more giveaways are coming.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Pasricha also advises her patients to steer clear of foods with artificial sweeteners - often advertised as sugar-free - because they're known to cause diarrhea and bloating.—
Andrea Muraskin,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Starring Witherspoon as Woods, the film followed a seemingly superficial sorority president who defies stereotypes by earning a place at Harvard Law School.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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But economists say the similarities may be largely superficial, thanks to more flexible exchange-rate regimes and deeper foreign exchange reserves, which provide a buffer that helps absorb some of the shock.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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