1
as in butter
excessive praise
laid the blarney on thick in order to get special treatment from the waitress
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
his excuse was his usual blarney about how he'd love to help out but he was just so darned busy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to coax
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
attendants at the nursing home sometimes have to blarney the patients to take their medicine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
an eager, young assistant who blarneys the boss shamelessly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blarney
Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 9 Mar. 2022
The blarney is still strong here (lapsing into Irish dialect is an occupational hazard of reading him), but these characters also act.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2022
Around the Cedars campus and among the Ross neighbors, Mulligan was known for his blarney, with a joke and a laugh for everyone.
—Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Nov. 2021
The result feels like a film filtered less through real life than the rosy lens of sentiment and memory: a soft-focus Irish fairy tale bathed in love and blarney and a whole lot of warbling Van Morrison.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for blarney
Noun
Menu: soda bread with Irish whiskey butter and fried cabbage and rashers; pork bangers and Irish colcannon with red onion gravy and blarney stones and Irish bananas.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 9 Mar. 2022
The blarney is still strong here (lapsing into Irish dialect is an occupational hazard of reading him), but these characters also act.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2022
Around the Cedars campus and among the Ross neighbors, Mulligan was known for his blarney, with a joke and a laugh for everyone.
—Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Nov. 2021
The result feels like a film filtered less through real life than the rosy lens of sentiment and memory: a soft-focus Irish fairy tale bathed in love and blarney and a whole lot of warbling Van Morrison.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2021
See All Example Sentences for blarney
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blarney
Noun
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Remove seed oils and substitute for coconut oil, organic butter, or organic unscented tallow in 2026.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
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Key Ingredients for Sticky Buns Our recipe for sticky buns is made with an enriched dough, one that includes eggs, butter, sugar, and milk, along with the yeast and flour.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Describing the plot as utter nonsense would both be 100 percent correct and likely taken as a massive compliment for all involved.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Mar. 2025
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For Guy, using systems like Kibbe’s to guide your dress choices can mean making nonsense out of your clothes’ cultural grammar, especially in the rigidly codified world of menswear.—
Constance Grady,
Vox,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That means there are, at last, some bears and some cash, that can be coaxed back in with a cessation of presidential economic intervention.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2025
-
According to a post from Zoraida, Violeta spent 45 minutes coaxing the scared dog into her car.—
Rhiannon Saegert,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
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Enjoy flavored nuts, such as those that are candied, glazed, or honied, in moderation.—
Selene Yeager,
Health,
24 Feb. 2024
Noun
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Starmer brought flattery and a state visit invitation from King Charles III to soften the ask.—
Zeke Miller,
The Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2025
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Trump must be laughing about Newsom’s obviously insincere flattery and being able to make the governor jump through his hoops.—
Dan Walters,
The Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The property also grows its own herbs, greens, nuts, berries, and edible flowers.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Focus on whole foods like fruits, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The comedian, who co-starred in Next Friday and Friday After Next, went on to praise Cube for putting people on.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
4 Mar. 2025
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The gist: five previous winners of each category — Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress — are brought on stage to present and praise the nominees and announce the winner.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Someone is then shot with a harpoon, only to have their guts pulled like taffy from the wound.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Feb. 2025
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Boucher was on the hunt for Abba-Zaba, a chewy taffy bar with a real peanut butter center.—
Jessica Ma,
Sacramento Bee,
20 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Blarney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blarney. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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