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 With these concerns in mind, offering information like the pope drinking coffee is a fig leaf gesture to provide something — anything — new for the rabid journalists demanding updates amid a volatile and guarded prognosis. Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Mar. 2025 Don't be surprised to see a similar fig leaf get floated. Dan Primack, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025 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 These gestures have been welcomed by Western governments, though many experts discount them as a fig leaf. Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024 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
  • The emergence of prompt shields and spotlight prompting has arisen due to the various hacking efforts trying to get generative AI to go beyond its filters and usual protections.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Meanwhile, the change in shield design from the blue-and-gold badge that probation officers have worn for decades to a silver shield almost identical to NYPD patrol shields is being criticized by Dalvanie Powell, the president of the United Probation Officers Association.
    Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • While components like the tech pods and interior front blind appear to be specially developed for the one-off Dream Pod concept, the main camping equipment is readily available for CR-V owners who want to make their own micro-camper.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Shut your blinds or get blackout curtains to keep light out, and use a white noise machine to drown out outside noise.
    Carley Millhone, Health, 10 Apr. 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 21 Apr. 2025.

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