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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Prosecutors allege Burke later bought a shovel, chainsaws, a body bag, and a blue inflatable kiddie pool under a fake name online, and used the items to dismember Rivas in his garage.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2026
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Artificial Plants Designer Ashley Hauza says a fake ficus tree on a porch isn't going to fool anyone.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Player of the Week Senior pitcher Jaelynn Anthony goes 4-for-5 for Oswego with three homers, a double and seven RBIs in 14-6 win over Minooka.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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Orangewood Christian swept Deltona Trinity Christian as Tre Roach went 2-for-3 with a double, 2 runs and an RBI for the Rams (23-3), Sam Lambert had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Addison Lambert added 2 hits, a run and an RBI.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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The second happens when the cords of logic break entirely; these patients jump from idea to idea in a meaningless way, and their speech is nonsensical—what doctors call word salad.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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And at the same time, how meaningless a basketball game actually was in the bigger scheme of things.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Entrupy highlighted the runny nature of phony economics; it shifts focus toward materials that are easier to mimic at high speeds.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Fair Districts law is a partisan perversion walking around in a phony non-partisan trenchcoat.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Seems extremely hypocritical, no?—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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How hypocritical that of me, Amy, and Gretchen, the only one married is me.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 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
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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
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The wayward booster was spotted by independent astronomer Bill Gray, who develops and sells software dedicated to tracking celestial objects both artificial and natural.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
1 May 2026
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That there is no need to fill consciousness at all moments with the artificial urgencies of screens, of emails, of texts, of social media; the real urgencies of the bright-eyed woodpecker above my head will always be vastly more interesting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Libras can be superficial because the sign is ruled by Venus, which appreciates beauty, as Sarah calls Bonnie out for after her surgery.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
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Visible to them on the other side of the curtain, separated only by that superficial barrier, was Tim Connelly.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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