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

Multiple schools are at the center of incidents in which teens are facing legal consequences for generating fake explicit images of their classmates.

— Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Gen Alphas seem to know almost immediately when something is fake, overproduced, delayed or culturally disconnected, which is why the strongest content right now often feels chaotic.

— Kelly Samuel, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of fake

Adjective

Southern Louisiana was under tropical storm and extreme heat warnings for much of Wednesday — a rare double dose of suffering, the National Weather Service said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Two separate three-bed guest houses, one with its own pool, offer privacy within privacy, while the commanding 1,300-square-meter (13,993 square feet) six-bed main house spreads the double wings of its terracotta roofs in sheltering fashion.

— Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of double

Adjective

Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.

— Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026
As Simón gathered the ball, Mbappé simply ran up and jumped on him, much as a small boy might assault his older brother, in meaningless and unproductive rage, for refusing to share an ice cream.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Definition of meaningless

Adjective

In the absence of phony injuries, World Cup athletic trainers have had little cause to deploy the dermal refrigerant, which basically functions as an aerosolized placebo.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026
There’s something there with this young guy, who’s concerned about purity that remains true now, which is that people think things are phony.

— Adam Messinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of phony

Adjective

Given Holzinger’s notoriety, and her own ironic relationship to extremes, her use of trigger warnings, posted before every performance, may seem beside the point, or even hypocritical.

— Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Bronin’s campaign argued that Larson calling out tech and private equity donations to the former mayor is hypocritical when the congressman has received his own.

— Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 17 July 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

With the help of his students, Wangchuk froze stream water into conical artificial glaciers—or ice stupas—to store water during the winter and release it throughout the drier spring and summer.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026
Because unreliable weather patterns can make natural snow scarce, the resort relies on artificial snow to make skiing possible all winter long.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026

Definition of artificial

Adjective

Ferrell, Henchy and David Gordon Green all previously worked on Eastbound & Down, a sports comeback series with enough superficial similarities to underline how toothless The Hawk and especially its characters are.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
Screenings are inconsistent or superficial, resulting in a lack of follow-up for people with problematic drinking.

— Isabella Cueto, STAT, 14 July 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of phony-baloney

adjective

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