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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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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-ons

Noun

That’s Angus’s behavior, and that is always fair game on these shows.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
Organizers hoped the shows would draw 250,000 attendees and inaugurate the city as a home for jazz events on par with New Orleans and Montreal.

— Shi Bradley, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of shows

Noun

The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
But given the current box office sensations of Obsession and Backrooms, Tiddes certainly wishes the timing had allowed for spoofs of those horror movies.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026

Definition of spoofs

Noun

The strategic mistake of invading Iraq on false pretenses was then compounded by tactical errors.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Johnson created the story of Nancy (Emilia Jones), who is not a girlfriend, but a crush who Bourdain foolhardily (and under false pretenses) follows to Provincetown after not getting a writing fellowship.

— Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of pretenses

Noun

The bakery first opened at a location across the street in 1894, with the year emblazoned on the historic building’s facades.

— Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
La Bárbara Hidden behind one of the historic facades of Casco Viejo, La Bárbara is a cocktail bar-meets-sushi spot and speakeasy all wrapped into one.

— Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of facades

Noun

McAfee is expected to continue his daily talk show that airs on ESPN and other platforms.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
The ad airs as Hinojosa, a state lawmaker, has aggressively looked to exploit an undercurrent of discontent in rural, Republican strongholds over data centers’ perceived threat to rural life, ranchland and dwindling water supplies.

— Marc Levy, Fortune, 19 Aug. 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 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of put-ons

noun

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