PUT-ONS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

put-ons

noun

plural of put-on

as in shows

a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive my bravery was all a put-on—I was scared out of my wits

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spoofs

a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect for a moment, I couldn't tell if the commercial was serious or a deadpan put-on of ads by other insurance companies

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-ons

Noun

In the past, daytime and late-night shows weren’t considered subject to the rule, but Carr has said differently.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
In any case, theatrical releases or (re-releases) of popular TV shows are all gravy for cinema operators, who are enjoying the biggest year at the box office since the onset of the pandemic.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of shows

Noun

The film draws on 1980s supernatural comedies, including Back to the Future, Ghostbusters and The Addams Family, alongside classic monster movies and horror spoofs.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Blanchett cofounded the nonprofit Human Consent Foundation to help people register how AI models can — or cannot — scrape their likenesses in an effort to combat such spoofs.

— Corbin Bolies, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of spoofs

Noun

Acting on flimsy pretenses, Bianco arranged in February for the seizure of hundreds of thousands of Proposition 50 ballots, questioning the integrity of the election months after the fact.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
Shirley has since visited other states in the US under similar pretenses, showing up unannounced to grocery stores and hospice centers in search of evidence of fraud.

— Mia Sato, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of pretenses

Noun

The five stars teased the project with parodies of their characters in a promo video.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
The name of the collection parodies the seriousness of the museum, even as the collection itself is the kind of thing that has traditionally gotten scant attention within actual institutions.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of parodies

Noun

Throughout the weekend, Dudamel embraced the worlds of Hollywood, Latin music in many guises and old-fashioned rock.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
With their traditional, legacy rivals — the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — in various guises of transition, Arsenal are suddenly the team to beat and the Emirates is suddenly a library of sound; noise please.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of guises

Noun

Its glassy face leans into a zigzag pattern across its facades and from some angles looks like a retro video game.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
The 16-acre complex of SCAD Savannah Film Studios added new professional soundstages and more than 50 backlot facades and practical interiors to Savannah’s production landscape.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of facades

Noun

But Chomet and Soumache tell Variety that the film was created using traditional 2D animation techniques, with the characters, backgrounds and key poses drawn by artists.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 7 Nov. 2026
Through their poses, with his father resting and his mother assuming a more assertive role, Liu wanted to reflect their changing dynamic.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of poses

Noun

Her work there earned her a Gotham TV Award nomination; Season 2 of The Studio airs next year.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026
The tournament, while not officially sanctioned as an ATP event, features some of the top players in the world vying for millions of dollars and airs live on Netflix.

— Mark Osborne, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of airs

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.

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“Put-ons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-ons. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of put-ons

noun

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