fig leaf

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 fig leaf Using them as a fig leaf to impose tariffs on all goods in contradiction to an existing trade agreement is clearly contrary to congressional intent. The Editors, National Review, 2 Feb. 2025 The countertop acts as the bar, with the silver cylinders housing opening flavors: gingerbread; an almost savory fig leaf, oolong, and prune; mellow sorbets. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2025 With the insurgents holding out for a settlement only on their own terms, Washington would then be forced to choose between a weak agreement providing a fig leaf for its abandonment of the country, a total failure of negotiations, and the indefinite engagement of U.S. combat troops. Ronald E. Neumann, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2012 Unfortunately, that skepticism is often accompanied by a reflexive suspicion that any support for human rights is a fig leaf for imperialism. Matthew Duss, Foreign Affairs, 22 Oct. 2020 See All Example Sentences for fig leaf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fig leaf
Noun
  • Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder portray a married couple who build a Potemkin village of eco-friendly homes and pour-over coffee shops in a struggling New Mexico town.
    Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
  • But behind the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam threatens to invade the country.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The video screens are a major feature of the setup.
    Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Around the corner in an adjoining room, a silvery space-age pinball machine sits with a cartoon-style side profile of Pharrell Williams backlit above the screen that displays the score.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Whereas preservatives carry the heavy burden of acting as a shield between our food and the microbial or oxidative forces that try to corrupt it, flavors exist purely for our entertainment.
    Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The formula is infused with Japanese Green Tea and Aloe Vera to soften, hydrate and smooth your skin while acting as an invisible shield to prevent melting, fading and creasing.
    Nora Colomer, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the kitchen includes heated floors, electric blinds and access to the terrace through a folding glass wall.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • They have been replaced by a set of stark, white blinds.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fig leaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fig%20leaf. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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