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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spurious
Congress could also impose penalties for spurious contract award disputes, which have become commonplace as a business strategy, as such disputes open the possibility that losing companies can compete again for the contract.
—
Michael Brown, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
He’s been bad-mouthing wind power for over a decade, often relying on similarly spurious claims.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 22 Apr. 2025
Although the argument seems spurious at first, given SNAP’s name, the program was only renamed in 2008.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
As more data becomes available, the AI tool improves its learning, becoming more sensitive to variations in the data, more adept at identifying good and bad patterns, and better able to detect spurious patterns.
—John Clemons, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spurious
Michael Brown, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
He’s been bad-mouthing wind power for over a decade, often relying on similarly spurious claims.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 22 Apr. 2025
Although the argument seems spurious at first, given SNAP’s name, the program was only renamed in 2008.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
As more data becomes available, the AI tool improves its learning, becoming more sensitive to variations in the data, more adept at identifying good and bad patterns, and better able to detect spurious patterns.
—John Clemons, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spurious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurious
Adjective
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Last month, federal agents seized 1,730 pounds of methamphetamine, 238 pounds of cocaine, 257 pounds of powdered fentanyl and about 360,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills from the home.—
Jasmine Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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Bad actors are increasingly impersonating high-profile creators using fake accounts, deepfakes or counterfeit content to scam audiences.—
Murad Salikhov,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The decision to deploy Dembele as a false nine for a 3-1 home win over Lyon in mid-December proved the spark for a stupendous run of goal-scoring form in which the France international racked up 27 goals in only 22 appearances.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Their accountant filed two false corporate tax returns, claiming one of the couple’s firms earned no money in 2015 and 2016.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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This secret-keeping tradition kept President François Mitterrand’s illegitimate daughter hidden for years.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
27 May 2025
-
Maduro, whose reelection last year to a third term has been condemned internationally as illegitimate, also has cracked down on his political opponents.—
Mark Sherman,
Chicago Tribune,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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There’s a backdrop of fake news and collective anxiety.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
5 June 2025
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Federal agents concluded that many of the documents, which were turned over by an attorney representing the restaurant, were fake or falsified, according to the warrant.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
31 May 2025
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Concurrently, fire exclusion policies aimed to protect young stands but inadvertently led to unnatural fuel accumulation beneath regenerating trees.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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China also makes more large cast and forged products—including landing gear, engine components, brakes, turbine disks, and fan blades—than the next nine countries combined.—
MICHAEL BROWN,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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It is crafted from forged zinc and finished in matte black.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The couple misspelled words a few times during their mock challenge against him.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
2 June 2025
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Know the difference by testing candidates in mock sales situations.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Coulombe has been out since May 5 with a strained left forearm.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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The official synopsis for Father Mother Sister Brother reads: Estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurious. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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