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
But other times, insurance companies deny claims after inadequate investigations or for spurious reasons.
—
Jay Feinman, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2025
This cannot be waved away by the spurious notion that Joe Biden and the U.S. Justice Department is retaliating against Adams’ legitimate criticism of Biden’s poor management of the migrant crisis.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
This stood in contrast to the spurious but widely held belief that swallows hibernated during winter months.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
Elements of the process that just create spurious issues or slow things down might turn out to be unnecessary if the approving authority had to pay for them.
—Joshua Stein, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for spurious
Jay Feinman, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2025
This cannot be waved away by the spurious notion that Joe Biden and the U.S. Justice Department is retaliating against Adams’ legitimate criticism of Biden’s poor management of the migrant crisis.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
This stood in contrast to the spurious but widely held belief that swallows hibernated during winter months.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
Elements of the process that just create spurious issues or slow things down might turn out to be unnecessary if the approving authority had to pay for them.
—Joshua Stein, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for spurious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurious
Adjective
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What to know about counterfeit stamps In fiscal year 2024, 90% of items violating Intellectual Property Right laws seized by CBP came from China and Hong Kong, CBP officials said.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2025
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More than 161,000 counterfeit U.S. Forever stamps from China were recently seized in Chicago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Thursday.—
Stephen Sorace,
Fox News,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In those documents, West discussed not only how to conduct experiments to implant false memories, instill specific mental disorders, and induce trance states, but also how to hide them.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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To illustrate, in the United Kingdom vaccinations took a considerable dip in the early 2000s after Wakefield’ false claims of a link between the MMR shot and autism were posted in the media.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump is now repeating Kremlin talking points — that Ukraine, not Russia, started the war; that Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader unpopular with Ukrainians.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
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Russia's Putin, meanwhile, has remained in power for decades through deepening crackdowns on free expression and increasingly illegitimate elections, according to international experts.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC News,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The reports that have gone viral on social media are fake news.—
Natasha Dye,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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This fake news gave white authorities the pretense to quash Black organizing and control Black labor.—
Christmaelle Vernet & Kathy Roberts Forde / Made by History,
TIME,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Advanced algorithms and neural networks can analyze pixel artifacts, unnatural movements and other subtle audio-visual data inconsistencies to detect deepfakes accurately.—
Dan Yerushalmi,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
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That comes from Reid, according to Kelce, and it’s led an almost unnatural level of calm across the team.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He had been apprehended while attempting to flee to Dubai using a forged Costa Rican passport, a move that also landed him a prison sentence in Montenegro for document fraud.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
Newsweek,
31 Dec. 2024
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Being caught with a fake means risking anything from a simple fine to a charge of criminal possession of a forged instrument, necessitating a lawyer and several court appearances.—
Kaja Andric,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The Athletic's college football reporters conducted a mock draft, which had the Titans taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward.—
Nate Rau,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
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There already have been a deluge of mock drafts and prospect rankings.—
Jim Reineking,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For years, Knight has hinted at Snoop’s alleged jealousy of Tupac, believing that the East Coast-West Coast rivalry and personal tensions led to strained relationships within their inner circle.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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State of play: DeSantis and Trump have long had a strained relationship.—
Ivana Saric,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to spurious
Cite this Entry
“Spurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurious. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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