PHONY-BALONEY Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

phony-baloney

adjective

ˈfō-nē-bə-ˈlō-nē

variants or phoney-baloney

Definition of phony-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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of phony-baloney Namely, their own phony-baloney, six-figure jobs. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phony-baloney

Adjective

Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
When Geese’s Cameron Winter played a charity show under a fake name this January, TV Eye was the place to see it.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of fake

Adjective

The double wins add to Rhys’ collection of gold across the acting categories.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
In the eighth inning, the Yankees were losing 2-1 when Lombard crushed Andrew Morris’ 98 mph fastball for a double off the wall in left-center field.

— Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of double

Adjective

The grand scale of cosmic time reminds her (and us) that social mores and strictures are tiny, meaningless things, that what matters is passion and freedom.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
The world’s increasingly pro-Chinese attitude is not meaningless.

— Adam Y. Liu, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of meaningless

Adjective

Located in Sachs’ studio at 245 Centre Street, the phony Chanel store has a sign with 31 Rue Cambon on its front door, and a black Chanel-esque ensemble in one street-front window and a red one in the other.

— Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
But when the obvious answer is to start Cousins and let Mendoza grow for a bit at the beginning of the regular season, this tactic by Kubiak seems phony.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of phony

Adjective

There is something deeply hypocritical about discovering and using the language of women’s liberation only when your own status, reputation, or income is at stake.

— Laura Jung, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
That some people in these industries, including those who are well paid, would look at our economy and seek out other ways of doing things is neither hypocritical nor surprising.

— Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of hypocritical

Adjective

Likewise, lip masks designed to be worn overnight can provide improved hydration and comfort over daytime treatments.

— Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026
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

Definition of lip

Adjective

Several artificial-intelligence stocks meanwhile held steadier following their worldwide slide the day before, after leaders of the AI industry called for a slowdown in development to address safety issues for humanity.

— Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Conrad and Gordon performed eight different science experiments, but perhaps one of their most striking feats was the artificial gravity demonstration.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of artificial

Adjective

Why Proxy Networks Are Different While proxy structure is also rented from third-party providers and serves as core infrastructure for data tasks, the resemblance is superficial at scale.

— Mindaugas Čaplinskas, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Such play could have caused superficial abrasions and scrapes, offering the bacterium an opening.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of superficial

Browse Nearby Words

phony

phony-baloney

phonying

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“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of phony-baloney

adjective

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