1
as in faux
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
a sofa upholstered in sham leather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in counterfeit
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
street vendors selling sham designer handbags to gullible tourists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the sham friendliness of a salesman trying to sell you something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
condemned the rigged election as a total sham
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the diamond turned out to be a sham
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
that supposed French movie star was a sham
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
shammed a most unconvincing limp just to get sympathy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sham
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
This means that far from just being a sham treatment, placebo is a legitimate tool in your pain toolbox.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
The election, dismissed by some Western governments and human rights groups as a sham, is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military, as opposition groups are either barred from running or have refused to do so.
—Reuters, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sham
Adjective
Ledeen died in May, well into his fifth decade of arguing against peace, or at least a sham peace, with Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
This means that far from just being a sham treatment, placebo is a legitimate tool in your pain toolbox.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
From shams to throw pillows, this trick works in every space.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
The election, dismissed by some Western governments and human rights groups as a sham, is expected to be dominated by proxies of the military, as opposition groups are either barred from running or have refused to do so.
—Reuters, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sham
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sham
Adjective
-
The elastic waistband stretches to move with you, and the pants come with faux buttons to make slipping them on a breeze.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The Philadelphia Eagles create a faux baseball game, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill used to mimic a potato sack race, and so on.—
Tyler Palmateer,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Besides a brand-new design, the cards also have enhanced anti-counterfeit protections.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Kamaitis was age 31 when he was mentioned in a Free Press article about the increasing circulation of counterfeit automotive parts being a concern for federal officials and automakers as well as a safety risk.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Flight 11 will target those same two splashdown zones, and Ship will aim to deploy another eight mock Starlinks, SpaceX wrote in Monday's update.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Recently, Taylor invited her daughter’s class to Euronews Albania for a behind-the-scenes look at how television is made, where the children took part in mock interviews and explored the studio with wide-eyed excitement.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The only people who write him letters are serial killers who adore him, especially serial killers who were portrayed on the Netflix series Mindhunter (which Monster, for some reason, takes a swipe at with a frankly exhausting, metatextual parody).—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The screenwriter, Nora Garrett, has achieved an amusingly florid Hollywood simulacrum—one that tilts into knowing parody—of an intensely self-regarding world.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
-
These guys came into my office, told me that there was nothing to the Russia hoax in February of 2017.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The law lowers daily transaction minimums, increases warnings on the kiosks, requires transaction receipts and requires Bitcoin ATM operators to issue refunds to victims of fraud, the release states.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Other senior officials opted to leave, including the bureau’s top fraud expert, cryptanalyst and skyjacking expert, and the head of its Crime Information Center.—
Douglas M. Charles,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Inspire pretend play with the popular Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Counter or give them a chance to be creative with the Yrinfay DIY Unicorn Shrinking Plastic Art Kit.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
-
According to the outlet and several videos circulating on social media, Mojito tricked pedestrians by pretending to inject them with a syringe in a series of viral videos.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Methanol is an industrial chemical that can cause nerve and liver damage and is sometimes found in fake or poorly distilled alcohol.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sham. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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