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
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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
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In the show, shy Briar U music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and cocky team captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) begin fake-dating to try to catch the attention of Hannah’s crush.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
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The schemes involve the use of fake court documents regarding false traffic and criminal infractions.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Frenetic winds robbed Wilyer Abreu of a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth, but Willson Contreras’ subsequent line drive made contact with the left-field wall for a game-tying RBI double and knocked Schlittler out of the game.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
-
On Friday, tech stocks led a market bloodbath after the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report showed employers added a net 172,000 jobs last month, nearly double Wall Street forecasts.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Yes, that’s a somewhat meaningless place to be at this time of year.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
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That right becomes meaningless if the ballot language advocates and misleads, rather than objectively explains.—
Jamie Cole,
Sun Sentinel,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
There's no shame in finding levity amidst darkness, but there is something unmistakably phony about it here.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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Some of the scams involve fake court documents or notifications about phony traffic or criminal infractions, according to the sheriff's office.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
-
Marlon asks, pointing to an artificial division between the Wayans' sketch comedy series, In Living Color, and Thompson's longtime home, Saturday Night Live.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
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Resistance to artificial turf might be eased if the city had taken the time to explain in great detail its benefits and risks.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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But our conversation ended up being so much about women and mothers generally, and how people in their lives create these illusions of normalcy and these illusions of perfection based on superficial stuff.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
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Her music owned up to being horny, garish, and superficial, but could scan as thin or cheap when held up to other kinds of ethical or political scrutiny.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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