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

Once roles are introduced to the game, the players make a comedy meal out of loudly fake narrating what Sam is doing while they’re blindfolded.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Those who speak a password, released via social media, receive a fake business card, which does mean many a guest is standing there shouting a password at the actor.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of fake

Adjective

Ambiguity, subtext, double meanings, and metaphor course through all of them.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
And companies in the entertainment, media and tech sectors are responding by spending substantially more on CEO security, by double — and in some cases triple — digits.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of double

Adjective

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
Bass was far from the only person or group duped by the phony poll.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 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

All of those companies have been massive winners for investors this year, with HPE and AMD more than doubling in value and Intel almost tripling, as the artificial infrastructure buildout expands to companies beyond Nvidia.

— Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026
These could be something as natural as gravity pulling the fluid downwards, or an artificial intervention like a propeller.

— Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of artificial

Adjective

On a superficial level, his plays, built around the emotional lives of his characters, can come off as a throwback to traditional realism.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Considered from one angle, the movie is superficial and conventional, zipping heedlessly between the characters without fretting about point of view, creating scenes that don’t so much illuminate characters as simply push the story along.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 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 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of phony-baloney

adjective

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