phony-baloney

adjective

ˈfō-nē-bə-ˈlō-nē How to pronounce phony-baloney (audio)
variants or phoney-baloney
Definition of phony-baloneynext
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

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
  1. fake
  2. double
  3. meaningless
  4. phony
  5. hypocritical
  6. lip
  7. artificial
  8. superficial
Adjective
  • Ify’s box contains a fake $100 bill, but Catherine decides to keep her box.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • Judges around the country have seen a rise in threats of violence and intimidation, including a fake swatting call to police about Barrett’s home in May.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • If Messi is the main focus of England’s attention, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has to contend with the double threat of Bellingham and Kane.
    — James Robson, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
  • Blorian, 26, captained Hapoel Be’er Sheva to an Israeli cup and league-title double last season.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Definition of double
Adjective
  • One sure focus is the rampant grade inflation that exaggerates student achievement and has made graduating high school close to meaningless as an indicator of college preparedness.
    — U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2026
  • This distinction between meaningful and meaningless data evokes signal versus noise, a communication concept formulated by the mathematician Claude Shannon.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of meaningless
Adjective
  • Often scammers will create phony, but very legitimate appearing domain names.
    — Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • In the cases before the Supreme Court as well as the wage case before Hall, there is no suggestion that lawyers intentionally buttressed arguments with phony precedents in order to win an unfair advantage.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2026
Definition of phony
Adjective
  • Or means that any comments are supposedly hypocritical.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026
  • Earlier this month, Matsui’s campaign came after Vang for taking corporate donations from Sacramento-area businesses during her city council campaigns, implying that Vang’s vows to not accept money from corporate PACs in her congressional bid is hypocritical.
    — Mathew Miranda June 4, Sacbee.com, 4 June 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
  • Controversial space mirror satellite Not everyone is looking forward to artificial daylight.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
  • Players had the run of the place on real grass, not the artificial turf in place for NFL games.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of artificial
Adjective
  • Examples like sales phone time or the Wells Fargo scandal illustrate how focusing solely on numbers can distort behavior, leading to superficial achievements or even unethical practices.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • The performances of those groups might have resembled one another in some superficial way, but the individual politics of each do matter and shouldn’t be lumped together on account of aesthetics.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
Definition of superficial

Browse Nearby Words

phony
phony-baloney
phonying
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Cite this Entry

“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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