window dressing

as in facade
a deceptively attractive external appearance the crime-does-not-pay moralizing is just window dressing for nasty hard-boiled stories

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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 window dressing Real estate off-track isn’t frothy if indistinct window dressing — no Donk. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025 But efforts must be real and substantive, not just window dressing. Matthew Phillips, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 Some skeptics suggested that corporate statements about racial justice were just window dressing. Donald T. Tomaskovic-Devey, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025 It has long been said that India runs cricket with an iron fist and that figureheads such as Barclay are merely window dressing. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for window dressing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for window dressing
facade
Noun
  • Drop the facade to create space for genuine connection.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • The damage to the facade appears mostly cosmetic, but the threat to the priceless VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-rays, and more media locked inside was enough to close the shop for several days.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Window dressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/window%20dressing. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.

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