variants or phoney-baloney
Definition of phony-baloneynext

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 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
  • If filmmakers can prompt fake actors to deliver precise performances, where does that leave human actors?
    Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The 18-minute fake pitch meeting!
    Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The exterior is made of microfiber that’s been double-brushed for silky softness.
    Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Evan Wanner walked off the Class AA state championship in double overtime with a swift wrister past Jerdee, returning Moorhead to the summit of Minnesota high school hockey.
    Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • But that’s a dangerous game of both spring training numbers, which are largely meaningless, and small sample sizes.
    Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
  • What on Tuesday night looked like a largely meaningless game with only minor seeding implications at the conference tournament suddenly took on greater importance 24 hours later.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The movie makes no secret of its phony mechanics.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • In the cases before the Supreme Court as well as the wage case before Hall, there is no suggestion that lawyers intentionally buttressed their arguments with phony precedents in order to win an unfair advantage.
    Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The tech entrepreneur, who founded a fitness app and a financial management platform catering to young and wealthy customers, also characterizes Khanna’s stock trading as hypocritical since the congressman campaigns on easing inequality.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The permanent observer of the 22-nation Arab League, Maged Abdelaziz, suggested Israel was being hypocritical in justifying its military attack by saying it was intended to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
    Edith M. Lederer, Fortune, 28 Feb. 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
  • The 287-foot freighter was intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef in 1985.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The artificial septet also nabbed the trophy for worst supporting actor.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • In her closing argument, Wanzenberg repeatedly noted that Mahdee received more than 40 stab wounds, and Vargas had three superficial cuts on his arm.
    Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
  • But all the wounds were superficial.
    Sean Emery, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.

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