EN

Synonyms for sham

  • noun
  • adjective
  • verb

Most common

fake fraud pseudo pretense US rip-off champagne deceptivity

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Fake

fake, fraud, pretense US, pretence UK, pseudo, deceit, faker, delusion, hypocrisy, imposture, trick, imposter, dissimulation, pretender, imitation, feint, simulation, role player, copy, shammer, pseud, postiche, phony informal US, phoney UK

2. Farce

farce, charade, mockery

Other

rip-off, champagne, deceptivity

Adjective

1. Bogus — counterfeit; unreal

bogus, mock, false, make-believe, pretended, counterfeit, fictitious, illegitimate, assumed, simulated, spurious, fictive, artificial, pinchbeck, unauthentic, feigned, ersatz, unreal, bastard, forged, synthetic, shoddy dated

Verb

1. Pretend — to assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign

pretend, feign, simulate, assume, dissemble, imitate, affect, dissimulate, beglammer UK, disguise, mimic

Antonyms

real, genuine, legitimate

All antonyms of sham →

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.

    The time-share deal was a sham.

  2. n. 2

    Trickery, hoaxing.

    A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.

  3. adj. 1

    Counterfeit; unreal.

  4. v. 1

    To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.

Related words

Word family
shamburger shamdemic shammer

Forms

Plural
shams → fakes, frauds, pretenses, pseudos…
Past participle
shammed
e.g. shammed → pretended, feigned, simulated, assumed…

Example sentences

  • fake Many consumer reviews of books on Amazon are fake.
  • fraud Academic fraud is more common than you might think.
  • pseudo "Rest your features" is pseudo-polite for "Shut up."
  • pretense He made a pretense of knowing my father.
  • champagne As long as the champagne is flowing, Tom is happy.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
shamsteady
fakerising
fraudrising
pseudosteady
pretenserising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
copy2, fake1, mock1
5 letters
false1, trick1, fraud1, mimic2, phony2, bogus2, farce1, faker2, feign1, feint1, pseud
6 letters
assume2, affect2, forged1, pseudo2, unreal2, deceit2, shoddy2, phoney2, ersatz2
7 letters
assumed2, pretend2, bastard2, mockery3, imitate3, charade2, feigned1, fictive, shammer
8 letters
disguise2, delusion3, simulate3, pretense2, spurious3, imposter3, pretence, postiche
9 letters
synthetic3, champagne2, hypocrisy4, pretended3, imitation4, simulated4, pretender3, dissemble3, pinchbeck, imposture, beglammer
10 letters
artificial4, simulation4, fictitious3
11 letters
counterfeit3, unauthentic4, dissimulate, deceptivity
12 letters
illegitimate5
13 letters
dissimulation

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (copy2 = 2 syllables).