spurious

adjective

ˈspyu̇r-ē-əs How to pronounce spurious (audio)
Definition of spuriousnext
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

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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

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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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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 spurious This too was a response to state power as experienced under the Soviet Union and its spurious use of statistics for control, not least of free speech and artistic expression. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 6 May 2026 Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 80-year-old former leader, is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated. — ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026 Using that spurious justification, ICE agents have detained, assaulted, and even — in the case of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti — killed people for recording. — Andrew Case, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026 Though the top judge later clarified that his remarks related only to individuals with spurious degrees and not India’s youth in general, the remarks kicked up a social media storm—which fueled thousands of sign-ups on CJP’s website, taking even Dipke by surprise. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for spurious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurious
  1. counterfeit
  2. false
  3. illegitimate
  4. fake
  5. mock
  6. forged
  7. unnatural
  8. strained
Adjective
  • Investigators also caught the brothers with at least 15 counterfeit and unauthorized bank cards, prosecutors said.
    — Joe Marusak July 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026
  • The case focused on Muk Choi Lau, a Chinese citizen and green-card holder, who was charged with selling nearly $300,000 in counterfeit shorts before returning from a 2012 trip.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of counterfeit
Adjective
  • The charge alleges a person knowingly defrauded another by using false or misleading information to obtain money, property, credit or a loan.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
  • Opponents of Amendment 5 have flatly called the advertisement misleading or false.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • That difference suggests that the government sees this extension of patent rights as an illegitimate way for a company to exclude other companies from competing.
    — Julie Dawson, The Conversation, 23 June 2026
  • Some fraudsters run an illegitimate DME company and get a doctor to prescribe the equipment.
    — Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Definition of illegitimate
Adjective
  • First was a Drug Enforcement Administration badge and ID with Horsch’s photo on it, but the ID was fake, and Horsch has never worked for the DEA, according to court documents.
    — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
  • This game preserves the difficulty of coming up with an elaborate, consistent false narrative on the spot, and the challenge of adapting that narrative on the fly when other players present convincing (and sometimes fake) counter-evidence.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 30 June 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • Those included a charmingly cluttered Bucket family home, a lush candyland with the smell of chocolate piped through the Royal Theater to complement the full-size mock chocolate river, and a glass elevator that flew above the audience.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Grindlinger is a two-way standout from Southern California who Baseball America had going to Boston in its latest mock draft.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 5 July 2026
Definition of mock
Adjective
  • She was additionally found guilty of insurance fraud for taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on her husband's life with his forged signature and for submitting a claim following his death.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 May 2026
Definition of forged
Adjective
  • Even after extensive engineering, Coach Eve would take about three seconds to reply to a question—a delay users felt was uncomfortable and unnatural.
    — Benjamin Wolff, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • His speech was an unnatural blur.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Definition of unnatural
Adjective
  • Then there’s the risk of higher frustration and strained relationships across an organization.
    — Kamya Elawadhi, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • But for Chris Williams, an 18-year employee of the California Department of Education, the contentious return-to-office process may have teed up a strained relationship with downtown.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of strained

Browse Nearby Words

spur
spurious
spuriousness
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Cite this Entry

“Spurious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurious. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of spurious for Spanish Speakers

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