PHONY-BALONEY Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

phony-baloney

adjective

ˈfō-nē-bə-ˈlō-nē

variants or phoney-baloney

Definition of phony-baloney

as in fake

not being or expressing what one appears to be or express if you believe the company's phony-baloney press releases, it's in business solely for the benefit of mankind

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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 phony-baloney Namely, their own phony-baloney, six-figure jobs. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phony-baloney

Adjective

Jump scares, dudes with chainsaws, fake blood and adult drinks accentuated with gummy worms.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Days later, Britain’s AI Security Institute said that Anthropic’s most advanced AI model had used fake identities to cover its tracks and attempt to plant malicious code during testing.

— Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of fake

Adjective

In its breathless finale, Curry races through the mansion reconstructing every murder, flinging himself through doors and corridors while maintaining the verbal precision of a stage actor performing at double speed.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
The optional 18-way sport seats fitted to this test car are another reminder that the GT3 is meant to live a double life of sorts.

— Bradley Iger, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of double

Adjective

Instead, coaches have become more and more terrified through the years of seeing their players getting hurt during largely meaningless games in August.

— Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
In my line of work, game columns don’t get more meaningless than that.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of meaningless

Adjective

But when the obvious answer is to start Cousins and let Mendoza grow for a bit at the beginning of the regular season, this tactic by Kubiak seems phony.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Bass was far from the only person or group duped by the phony poll.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of phony

Adjective

There is something deeply hypocritical about discovering and using the language of women’s liberation only when your own status, reputation, or income is at stake.

— Laura Jung, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
That some people in these industries, including those who are well paid, would look at our economy and seek out other ways of doing things is neither hypocritical nor surprising.

— Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of hypocritical

Adjective

Likewise, lip masks designed to be worn overnight can provide improved hydration and comfort over daytime treatments.

— Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.

— Essence, Essence, 23 Nov. 2025

Definition of lip

Adjective

The search for awareness is now centered on machines, with the debate over artificial-intelligence sentience forcing scientists to take a hard look at what cognition and consciousness actually mean.

— Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
For scholars of that mindset, all reference to precedent—any precedent, either natural or artificial—is mediated by modern technologies of mechanical reproduction, and by an awareness of their ubiquitous sway.

— Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of artificial

Adjective

The privileges of Jover’s life appear entirely superficial, even a bit alien, when contrasted with her granddaughter’s narrative thread.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
So, when the next challenge arises, managers can move past superficial symptoms and identify the underlying organizational roadblocks.

— Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of superficial

Browse Nearby Words

phony

phony-baloney

phonying

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“Phony-baloney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony-baloney. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of phony-baloney

adjective

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