1
as in counterfeit
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn't have fooled an art expert for a second
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in false
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
claimed that the governor's election-year enthusiasm for conservation was spurious, since he had cut funding for state parks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in illegitimate
born to a father and mother who are not married
the spurious son of Charles II, the Duke of Monmouth would later mount a rebellion in a disastrous attempt to claim the throne
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 spurious
The development comes amid fevered — and often spurious — speculation about the vast game of musical chairs playing out at the highest echelons of European fashion.
—
Miles Socha, WWD, 14 Oct. 2024
Lake’s campaign has attempted to pivot away from her spurious claims about election integrity, focusing on issues like inflation and immigration.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024
This prompted criticism from the Norwegian press and public, who accused the royal of using her title to boost her spurious business interests.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2024
Some find this goal spurious in a society that is so intensely polarized.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spurious 
Miles Socha, WWD, 14 Oct. 2024
Lake’s campaign has attempted to pivot away from her spurious claims about election integrity, focusing on issues like inflation and immigration.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024
This prompted criticism from the Norwegian press and public, who accused the royal of using her title to boost her spurious business interests.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2024
Some find this goal spurious in a society that is so intensely polarized.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spurious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurious
Adjective
-
While the total across the four cases—all withdrawn after a deposit of forged or counterfeit checks—came to more than $661,000, a significant portion of that comes from just one case.Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
-
Federal law enforcement officials announced the criminal indictments against the man and six other people on Monday, calling the case one of the largest counterfeit pill busts ever in New England.CBS News, CBS News, 24 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
Bear in mind that his campaign was replete with false claims — about immigration, jobs, inflation, crime and more.Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
-
Oz is the Penguin now — like everyone in Batman’s Rogues Gallery, a caricature of his own trauma, drawn to criminal means of false liberation.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Officials in Lancaster, who have been reviewing the 2,500 ballots suspected of fraud have found that 60 percent were potentially illegitimate, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said.Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
-
Democrats are already working to steal the election from Donald Trump, and the results are going to be illegitimate.Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The source of those flames: a Christmas celebration that climaxes with ten helicopters dropping fake snow on the partygoers, a stunt that turns out to be a bad idea because of strong winds and some not-up-to-code fire extinguishers.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
-
After 1935, duck and goose hunters were limited to fake decoys.Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
The video appeared to have been substantially manipulated, with unnatural facial expressions and a robotic voice, according to a CNN analysis using deepfake detector tools.Michael Conte, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
-
Just make sure to only use mold-free pumpkins that haven’t been treated with paint or other unnatural products.Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
With Russian visas now harder to obtain, many are now seeking legal work visas from Hungary (sometimes using forged documents), which are then used to travel through Europe to the French coast.Richard Windsor, theweek, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Chen and Yu are each charged with one count of engaging in organized crime, one count of second-degree fleeing or evading police and one count of first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Our team spent four months building a minute-by-minute playbook, conducting two full-scale mock cutovers and stress-testing every critical system.Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
-
Experience mock classes led by prominent professors, explore diverse legal career paths, and receive personalized admissions guidance.Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
The lifelong New Yorker explained his decision to pack up for Florida in a 2019 post on the social platform X, citing taxes and his strained relationships with state and local leaders.Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
-
In addition, there will need to be some serious operational improvements to remedy the company’s strained relationship with many current and former customers.Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024
Articles Related to spurious
Thesaurus Entries Near spurious
Cite this Entry
“Spurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurious. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share