fig leaf

noun

Definition of fig leafnext
as in Potemkin village

Related Words

Relevance

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 Critics, however, argued that the focus on local control was a fig leaf for austerity and dismantling the welfare state. — National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 Cocktails include the Rebujito, made with a sherry blend, Spanish melon, lemon, tonic and mint; the Fig Leaf Boulevardier, with Japanese whisky, Campari, Cocchi Rosa and fig leaf liqueur; and the Sea Buckthorn 75, featuring genmaicha gin, sea buckthorn cordial, lemon and Champagne. — Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026 But for houses connected to public water and sewer, lot size rules are arbitrary, lacking even a fig leaf of public health or safety concern. — Salim Furth, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026 But the waste disposal issue provides a fig leaf to nuclear skeptics. — U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fig leaf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fig leaf
  1. Potemkin village
  2. screen
  3. shield
  4. blind
Noun
  • The Swedish government has come up with some drastically different economic figures on Russia that make the Kremlin’s official data seem like a Potemkin village.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 24 May 2026
  • But when Microsoft built the Potemkin village that is Copilot and charged for it, well, no thank you.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of Potemkin village
Noun
  • The driver gets a 24-inch OLED screen, and there’s a smaller 7-inch infotainment screen in the centre.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In practice, hygge can mean curling up with a book and a hot drink, lighting candles for a quiet dinner, gathering friends for a fireside chat without screens or bundling up for a walk in the snow.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of screen
Noun
  • Dozens of armored cops were still standing guard, shields raised, after a night when 500 people were taken into custody in the French capital alone.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Tortoiseshell shield sunglasses and a timeless black tote complete the casual-meets-cool outfit.
    — Laura Jackson, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of shield
Noun
  • Corso sets up in the blind and points the scope across the water at a neon-pink bouquet of Greater Flamingos ballet-dancing along the far edge of the lagoon, while grebes dive, avocets wade, and egrets and herons hunt in the foreground.
    — Alexandra Marvar, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The second installation attempt for the large blind was successful.
    — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of blind

Browse Nearby Words

fights shy of
fig leaf
fig leafs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fig leaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fig%20leaf. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All