Synonyms of spurious

spurious

adjective

ˈspyu̇r-ē-əs 

1

as in counterfeit

being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud

a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn't have fooled an art expert for a second

Synonyms & Similar Words

• counterfeit
• false
• fake
• forged
• bogus
• inauthentic
• snide
• imitation
• phony
• ornamental
• artificial
• synthetic
• sham
• unauthentic
• manufactured
• misleading
• deceptive
• factitious
• mock
• simulated
• dummy
• substitute
• mimic
• cultured
• delusive
• fabricated
• nonfunctioning
• man-made

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• genuine
• authentic
• bona fide
• natural
• actual
• true
• unfaked
• valid

2

as in false

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

claimed that the governor's election-year enthusiasm for conservation was spurious, since he had cut funding for state parks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• false
• mock
• unnatural
• strained
• fake
• exaggerated
• mechanical
• pseudo
• artificial
• bogus
• affected
• simulated
• factitious
• contrived
• assumed
• phony
• feigned
• plastic
• forced
• theatrical
• sham
• cute
• pretended
• put-on
• hollow
• unreal
• automatic
• empty
• unrealistic
• calculated
• deliberate
• hypocritical
• manufactured
• unauthentic
• insincere
• formal
• pat
• canned
• melodramatic
• fabricated
• facile
• unctuous
• hokey
• conventional
• labored
• concocted
• stiff
• histrionic
• conscious
• wooden
• stylized
• impersonal
• rigid
• mealy
• cultivated
• mincing
• two-faced
• cutesy
• premeditated
• artful
• simpering
• double-dealing
• mealymouthed
• genteel
• overacted
• inflexible
• studied
• overdone
• goody-goody
• left-handed
• overrefined

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• genuine
• spontaneous
• real
• natural
• true
• unaffected
• realistic
• authentic
• artless
• right
• bona fide
• ingenuous
• sincere
• honest
• unforced
• unfeigned
• easy
• uncontrived
• smooth
• unconscious
• effortless
• impulsive
• impromptu
• instinctive
• extemporaneous
• unpretending
• unstudied
• unrehearsed
• unprompted

3

as in illegitimate

born to a father and mother who are not married

the spurious son of Charles II, the Duke of Monmouth would later mount a rebellion in a disastrous attempt to claim the throne

Synonyms & Similar Words

• illegitimate
• supposititious
• misbegotten
• unfathered
• natural
• baseborn
• fatherless
• motherless
• adopted
• orphaned
• nameless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• legitimate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spurious

Though the top judge later clarified that his remarks related only to individuals with spurious degrees and not India’s youth in general, the remarks kicked up a social media storm—which fueled thousands of sign-ups on CJP’s website, taking even Dipke by surprise. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 May 2026

The most common objection is that tenants will game the system — filing spurious claims to pocket money or harass landlords. — Cole Hanson, Twin Cities, 10 May 2026

These efforts apparently relied on a mix of sock-puppet accounts across social media platforms, which promoted the spurious claims of vilifying websites. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026

Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 80-year-old former leader, is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated. — ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026

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