Sham — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb /ˈsham/

Meaning & Definition of Sham

Sham (noun)

  1. a trick that deludes, hoax
  2. cheap falseness, hypocrisy
  3. an ornamental covering for a pillow

Sham (adjective)

  1. not genuine, false, feigned
  2. having such poor quality as to seem false

Sham (verb)

  1. to go through the external motions necessary to counterfeit
  2. to act intentionally so as to give a false impression, feign

Sham (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

    "a sofa upholstered in sham leather"

    similar: artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, simulated, substitute, synthetic
    related: cultured, manufactured, process, unauthentic, adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with), concocted, fabricated, counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, phony, affected, brummagem, feigned, pinchbeck, pseudo, spurious
    opposite: genuine, natural, real
    near: authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true, premium, quality, valuable, pure, unadulterated

  2. being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud

    "street vendors selling sham designer handbags to gullible tourists"

    similar: bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, forged, inauthentic, phony, snide, spurious, unauthentic
    related: artificial, factitious, imitation, man-made, mimic, mock, simulated, substitute, synthetic, dummy, nonfunctioning, ornamental, cultured, fabricated, manufactured, deceptive, delusive, misleading
    opposite: authentic, bona fide, genuine, real, unfaked
    near: natural, actual, true, valid

  3. lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

    "the sham friendliness of a salesman trying to sell you something"

    similar: affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false, feigned, forced, mechanical, mock, phony, plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, simulated, spurious, strained, unnatural
    related: automatic, canned, concocted, fabricated, hokey, labored, manufactured, pat, unauthentic, unreal, unrealistic, double-dealing, empty, facile, hollow, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, two-faced, unctuous, exaggerated, histrionic, melodramatic, overacted, overdone, theatrical, cute, cutesy, genteel, goody-goody, mincing, overrefined, simpering, conventional, formal, impersonal, inflexible, rigid, stiff, stylized, wooden, artful, calculated, conscious, cultivated, deliberate, premeditated, studied
    opposite: artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced
    near: authentic, bona fide, real, realistic, right, true, honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending, easy, effortless, smooth, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied

Sham (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something

    "condemned the rigged election as a total sham"

    similar: caricature, cartoon, farce, joke, mockery, parody, travesty
    related: burlesque, comedy, lampoon, takeoff, counterfeit, fake, feigning, forgery, hoax, humbug, knockoff, phony, pretense, simulation
    near: homage, tribute

  2. an imitation that is passed off as genuine

    "the diamond turned out to be a sham"

    similar: counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony
    related: copycat, knockoff, copy, facsimile, replica, reproduction, dummy, mock-up, fraud, gaff, imposture, spoof, swindle, simulation, synthetic, bastard, brummagem, duffer, shoddy
    near: original

  3. one who makes false claims of identity or expertise

    "that supposed French movie star was a sham"

    similar: charlatan, fake, faker, fakir, fraud, hoaxer, humbug, impostor, mountebank, phony, pretender, quack, quacksalver, ringer
    related: copycat, imitator, impersonator, mimic, actor, bluffer, counterfeiter, deceiver, dissembler, duper, feigner, misleader, operator, trickster, poseur, cozener, defrauder, dodger, fraudster (chiefly British), scammer, scamster, sharper, sharpie, skinner, swindler
    near: ace, adept, authority, crackerjack, expert, maestro, master, past master, professional, virtuoso, whiz, wizard

Sham (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to present a false appearance of

    "shammed a most unconvincing limp just to get sympathy"

    similar: act, affect, assume, bluff, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, simulate, make believe
    related: dissimulate, impersonate, let on, masquerade, play, playact, pose, forge, imitate, camouflage, conceal, disguise, mask, feint, malinger

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Sham

The most common words with a similar meaning to Sham:

artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, simulated, substitute, synthetic, counterfeit, forged, inauthentic, phony, snide, spurious, unauthentic, affected, assumed, contrived, feigned, forced, mechanical, plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, strained, unnatural, caricature, cartoon, farce, joke

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Sham

Words with the opposite meaning of Sham:

genuine, natural, real, authentic, bona fide, unfaked, artless, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced

Related Words for Sham

cultured, manufactured, process, adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with), concocted, fabricated, deceptive, fraudulent, misleading, brummagem, pinchbeck, nonfunctioning, ornamental, delusive, automatic, canned, hokey, labored, pat, unreal, unrealistic, double-dealing, empty

Near Antonyms of Sham

legitimate, true, premium, quality, valuable, pure, unadulterated, actual, valid, realistic, right, honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending, easy, effortless, smooth, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied, homage, tribute, original, ace

Word Forms of Sham

Inflections: shammed, shamming

Derived words: shammer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Sham

perhaps from English dialect sham shame, alteration of English shame

First known use: 1677

Frequently Asked Questions about Sham

What does "Sham" mean?

"Sham" means a trick that deludes, hoax. As an a noun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: a trick that deludes, hoax. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Sham"?

Other words for "Sham" include artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false and faux. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Sham" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Sham"?

There are 194 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Sham". Common alternatives include artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitation and imitative.

What is the opposite of "Sham"?

Antonyms of "Sham" include genuine, natural, real, authentic, bona fide, unfaked, artless and spontaneous. Near antonyms include legitimate, true, premium and quality.

How do you use "Sham" in a sentence?

Examples of "Sham" in a sentence: "a sofa upholstered in sham leather"; "street vendors selling sham designer handbags to gullible tourists"; "the sham friendliness of a salesman trying to sell you something".

Is "Sham" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Sham" can be used as a noun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Sham"?

"Sham" is pronounced /ˈsham/.

What is the origin of the word "Sham"?

"Sham" comes from perhaps from English dialect sham shame, alteration of English shame. First known use: 1677.