window dressing

Definition of window dressingnext
as in facade
a deceptively attractive external appearance the crime-does-not-pay moralizing is just window dressing for nasty hard-boiled stories

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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 window dressing Sayeh believes the war has essentially destroyed what was left of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy and removed any window dressing suggesting the country wasn’t a de facto military dictatorship. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 June 2026 But all of that will just be window dressing. Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 11 June 2026 Everyone else is window dressing. Literary Hub, 21 May 2026 Those side-story quests are always guaranteed to be different narrative window dressings on time trials. Adam Ismail, The Drive, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for window dressing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for window dressing
facade
Noun
  • Pastel Colonial buildings lined the streets, their facades glowing in the afternoon sun, while the plazas hummed with life.
    Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2026
  • On the façade of the giant concrete structure that was once intended to solve that problem, a sign written in Russian and Spanish remains visible despite the passing years.
    Juan Carlos López, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Window dressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/window%20dressing. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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