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
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 spurious
This is spurious and completely unfounded.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2026
Koren testified, on the basis of these spurious tests, that a toddler must have been ingesting substantial quantities of cocaine for about fourteen months.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The spurious designation of Qassem Soleimani as a global terrorist, something long requested by Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for the expansion of the designation to other entities long held off from the moniker out of fear of its implications.
—Séamus Malekafzali, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
Many politicians and government employees learned from The Times that they had been targeted with spurious filings.
—Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurious
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2026
Koren testified, on the basis of these spurious tests, that a toddler must have been ingesting substantial quantities of cocaine for about fourteen months.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The spurious designation of Qassem Soleimani as a global terrorist, something long requested by Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for the expansion of the designation to other entities long held off from the moniker out of fear of its implications.
—Séamus Malekafzali, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
Many politicians and government employees learned from The Times that they had been targeted with spurious filings.
—Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurious
Adjective
-
The report places some of the blame on social media platforms and e-commerce websites for facilitating counterfeit sales through influencer promotion and links to fake websites.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 May 2026
-
Shawna Keomisy was indicted in 2014, accused of using a counterfeit diploma and someone else’s medical license number to work as a physician’s assistant in Maryland.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
On May 14, Dana Williamson, a former top aide to Newsom and onetime Becerra political adviser, pleaded guilty in federal court after accepting a plea deal to multiple charges, including committing bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to the FBI.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Dana Williamson, former top aide to Newsom, pleaded guilty in an FBI corruption probe to bank fraud, filing a false tax return and lying to the FBI.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The nuns then took it upon themselves to make arrangements for the illegitimate child.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
The credit bureaus have said that many recent complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by third-party credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports.—
Joel Jacobs,
ProPublica,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The bot-detection firm Cyabra analyzed seven days of activity around the ad and determined that 15 percent of the TikTok accounts commenting on it were fake but had created a disproportionately large percentage of the uproar.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
To return the favor, Graham proposes a fake dating scheme with Wells to make her crush, singer Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), jealous.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Strangers are matched by experts and move in together after mock wedding ceremonies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
The first mock drafts tend to go up just after the previous year’s real draft ends.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
She was additionally found guilty of insurance fraud for taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on her husband's life with his forged signature and for submitting a claim following his death.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
-
Before that arrest, he was detained in Scottsdale, Arizona, and charged with two felonies: possession of a forged instrument and possession or use of a dangerous drug, according to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Over the course of Obsession's 108-minute runtime, Nikki transforms into an self-destructive, possessive, and dangerously violent shadow of her former self as Bear's spell forces her to fixate solely on her unnatural devotion to him—no matter the cost.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
15 May 2026
-
As real trees begin to bloom outside, photographer Widline Cadet picks through two playfully oversized bouquets of positively unnatural plastic flowers.—
Elly Fishman,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, reductions in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are expected to increase food insecurity among older adults, placing even more pressure on already strained systems.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
The Thunder are 8-0 in the postseason despite their second-best player Jalen Williams missing the entirety of the playoffs with a strained hamstring.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurious. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
