Thesaurus

sham

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of sham

1 being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

a sofa upholstered in sham leather

Synonyms of sham

artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, simulated, substitute, synthetic

Words Related to sham

cultured, manufactured, process

adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with)

concocted, fabricated

counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, phony (also phoney)

affected, brummagem, feigned, pinchbeck, pseudo, spurious

Near Antonyms of sham

authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true

premium, quality, valuable

pure, unadulterated

Antonyms of sham

genuine, natural, real

2 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 of sham

bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, forged, inauthentic, phony (also phoney), queer, snide, spurious, unauthentic

Words Related to sham

artificial, factitious, imitation, man-made, mimic, mock, simulated, substitute, synthetic

dummy, nonfunctioning, ornamental

cultured, fabricated, manufactured

deceptive, delusive, misleading

Near Antonyms of sham

actual, true, valid

Antonyms of sham

authentic, bona fide, genuine, real, unfaked

3 lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

the sham friendliness of a salesman trying to sell you something

Synonyms of sham

affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false, feigned, forced, mechanical, mock, phony (also phoney), plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, simulated, spurious, strained, unnatural

Words Related to sham

automatic, canned, concocted, fabricated, hokey, labored, manufactured, pat, unauthentic, unreal, unrealistic

double-dealing, empty, facile, hollow, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, two-faced, unctuous

exaggerated, histrionic, melodramatic, overacted, overdone, theatrical (also theatric)

cute, cutesy, genteel, goody-goody, mincing, overrefined, simpering

conventional, formal, impersonal, inflexible, rigid, stiff, stylized, wooden

artful, calculated, conscious, cultivated, deliberate, premeditated, studied

Near Antonyms of sham

authentic, bona fide, real, realistic, right, true

honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending

easy, effortless, smooth

extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied

Antonyms of sham

artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced

sham

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of sham

1 a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something

condemned the rigged election as a total sham

Synonyms of sham

caricature, cartoon, farce, joke, mockery, parody, travesty

Words Related to sham

burlesque, comedy

lampoon, takeoff

counterfeit, fake, feigning, forgery, hoax, humbug, knockoff, phony (also phoney), pretense (or pretence), simulation

Near Antonyms of sham

homage, tribute

2 an imitation that is passed off as genuine

the diamond turned out to be a sham

Synonyms of sham

counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony (also phoney)

Words Related to sham

copycat, knockoff

copy, facsimile, replica, reproduction

fraud, gaff, imposture, spoof, swindle

simulation, synthetic

bastard, brummagem, duffer, shoddy

Near Antonyms of sham

3 one who makes false claims of identity or expertise

that supposed French movie star was a sham

Synonyms of sham

charlatan, fake, faker, fakir, fraud, hoaxer, humbug, impostor (or imposter), mountebank, phony (also phoney), pretender, quack, quacksalver, ringer

Words Related to sham

copycat, imitator, impersonator, mimic

actor, bluffer, counterfeiter, deceiver, dissembler, duper, feigner, misleader, operator, trickster

cozener, defrauder, dodger, fraudster [chiefly British], scammer, scamster, sharper, sharpie (or sharpy), skinner, swindler

Near Antonyms of sham

ace, adept, authority, crackerjack (also crackajack), expert, maestro, master, past master, professional, virtuoso, whiz, wizard

Synonym Discussion of sham

imposture, fraud, sham, fake, humbug, counterfeit mean a thing made to seem other than it is. imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

- their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

- the diary was exposed as a fraud

sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

- condemned the election as a sham

fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

- these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

- creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

- 20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

sham

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of sham

to present a false appearance of

shammed a most unconvincing limp just to get sympathy

Synonyms of sham

act, affect, assume, bluff, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, simulate

Words Related to sham

dissimulate, impersonate, let on, masquerade, play, playact, pose

camouflage, conceal, disguise, mask

Phrases Synonymous with sham

Synonym Discussion of sham

assume, affect, pretend, simulate, feign, counterfeit, sham mean to put on a false or deceptive appearance. assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

- assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

- affected an interest in art

pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

- pretended that nothing had happened

simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

- cosmetics that simulate a suntan

feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

- feigned sickness

counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

- an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

- shammed a most unconvincing limp

Learn More about sham

See words that rhyme with sham Dictionary: Definition of sham Medical Dictionary: Definition of sham Spanish Central: Translation of sham Nglish: Translation of sham for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sham for Arabic speakers

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detritus

miscellaneous remnants or debris