TRUMPED UP Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

trumped-up 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of trumped-up

as in invented

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trumped up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of trump up

as in devised

to create or think of by clever use of the imagination parents who were always trumping up little projects for their children to do around the house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of trumped-up

Adjective

The charge was clearly trumped-up, but Yundi was immediately taken off all Chinese stages and media and prevented from going abroad. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023

Verb

Both men pleaded guilty to gun possession and their attorneys argued that police trumped up the tipster’s unverified claims to go after them. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 28 July 2026 But in a statement issued by his attorney, Maluchnik denies all of that, saying the charges have been trumped up. — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026 Because of the differences they are labeled as evil, incompetent, corrupt or some other trumped up charge such as antisemitic. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026 Bass insisted the charges were trumped up. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026 He was forced to flee the country in the months following the election, due to trumped up conspiracy and terrorism charges presented by the government that would have led to decades in prison. — Flora Charner, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026 The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power. — Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025 She was elected to the country's National Assembly in 2010, only to be expelled four years later on allegations her supporters said were trumped up. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025 Although the woman-alien’s powers were trumped up to comedic effect, Estelle could not help but see that beneath its B-movie veneer, Devil Girl from Mars tapped into a looming anxiety that was palpable all around. — Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trumped-up

Adjective

Earlier this month, the president made several unproven statements about vaccines while signing an executive order on the matter.

— Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
The clock is ticking for the Dolphins and their roster full of young, unproven players.

— Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of unproven

Verb

So in classic spy fashion, the group devised secret codes to communicate with one another, hidden in plain sight, so the KGB would be none the wiser — using series of notes embedded in their sheet music.

— Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of devised

Adjective

Republicans say the inquiry is intended to determine whether foreign money or fraudulent donations have entered federal campaigns and whether ActBlue accurately described its safeguards to Congress.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026
State prosecutors allege Davis submitted at least six fraudulent COVID Emergency Rental Assistance applications from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

— Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of fraudulent

Verb

In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
The removal of Maelor, however, snowballed into this moment where that character’s absence didn’t allow for that horrific book moment to be realized, so another set of reasons was concocted.

— Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of concocted

Verb

Originally constructed in the 1860s to house two battalions of the British Army, Chelsea Barracks served as an important military base for more than 140 years before being decommissioned in 2008.

— Nick Scott, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2026
The group has constructed more than 820 all-terrain wheelchairs; fabricated 900 orthotics and prosthetics; and distributed more than 740 hearing aids.

— Allie Torgan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of constructed

Adjective

The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.

— Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.

— Hope Moses, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026

Definition of mendacious

Verb

Davis and his lawyer, Michael Sanft, have centered their defense on the argument that Davis invented his accounts for personal advantage, entertainment and money.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
In 1994, as Chinese reformer Deng Xiaoping’s market liberalization unleashed a heady entrepreneurial spirit across the People’s Republic, Wang quit his job at a vocational college and invented the world’s first automatic soymilk maker.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of invented

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“Trumped-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trumped-up. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of trumped-up

adjective

verb

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