bogus
adjective
bo·gus ˈbō-gəs 
: not genuine : counterfeit, sham
a bogus claim
The evidence was completely bogus.
bogusly adverb
bogusness noun
Did you know?
Bogus Has a Long History
In the early 19th century, a "bogus" was a machine used to make counterfeit coins. No one knows for sure how this coin-copying contraption got its name, but before long bogus became a name for funny money or for a fraudulent imitation of any kind. The more common "phony" adjective followed.
Synonyms
- artificial
- dummy
- ersatz
- factitious
- fake
- false
- faux
- imitation
- imitative
- man-made
- mimic
- mock
- pretend
- sham
- simulated
- substitute
- synthetic
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
It was just a bogus claim. The evidence was completely bogus.
Recent Examples on the Web But after the victims wire that money, their banks alert them that the check from the scammers was bogus. 
Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 Talking to authorities weeks later, Greenberg said any such denial from his former political ally would be bogus. Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022 On the same day the buyer tried to walk, Spina pulled an audible, selling the three bogus rings to an auction house for $100,000, prosecutors said. Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 This laissez-faire approach has spiked alongside Covid-19, a national crisis that, like others before it, has led to a proliferation of bogus charities. Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 29 Aug. 2022 During a brief hearing Wednesday, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said none of the bogus claimants showed up to provide evidence under oath so their claims will be struck from the list of settlement beneficiaries. Curt Anderson, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2022 Some health experts expressed concerns about websites potentially selling bogus drugs or not providing adequate information and medical support. Dominique Mosbergen, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2022 Don’t rely on an app to guess at what disease your plant may have – and don’t act on bogus recommendations. Nick Goltz, The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2022 Many did, sending thousands of dollars for the bogus vacation rentals. Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022 See More
Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 Talking to authorities weeks later, Greenberg said any such denial from his former political ally would be bogus. Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022 On the same day the buyer tried to walk, Spina pulled an audible, selling the three bogus rings to an auction house for $100,000, prosecutors said. Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 This laissez-faire approach has spiked alongside Covid-19, a national crisis that, like others before it, has led to a proliferation of bogus charities. Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 29 Aug. 2022 During a brief hearing Wednesday, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said none of the bogus claimants showed up to provide evidence under oath so their claims will be struck from the list of settlement beneficiaries. Curt Anderson, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2022 Some health experts expressed concerns about websites potentially selling bogus drugs or not providing adequate information and medical support. Dominique Mosbergen, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2022 Don’t rely on an app to guess at what disease your plant may have – and don’t act on bogus recommendations. Nick Goltz, The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2022 Many did, sending thousands of dollars for the bogus vacation rentals. Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
obsolete argot bogus counterfeit money
First Known Use
1825, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
bogus
adjective
bo·gus ˈbō-gəs
: not genuine The miracle they told us about turned out to be bogus.
bogus
adjective
1
as in fake
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials for that price, you're only going to get furniture covered in bogus leather and not the real stuff Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- fake
- faux
- synthetic
- false
- simulated
- artificial
- dummy
- imitation
- imitative
- mock
- sham
- ersatz
- counterfeit
- manufactured
- factitious
- pretend
- substitute
- mimic
- deceptive
- process
- designer
- fraudulent
- manipulated
- man-made
- fabricated
- misleading
- pseudo
- forged
- phony
- concocted
- engineered
- doctored
- spurious
- unauthentic
- adulterated
- cultured
- phoney
- fudged
- juggled
- feigned
- affected
- pinchbeck
- tampered (with)
- brummagem
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- real
- genuine
- legitimate
- true
- natural
- authentic
- valuable
- bona fide
- pure
- quality
- premium
- unadulterated
2
as in counterfeit
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud the "designer" watches sold on the street are usually bogus Synonyms & Similar Words
- counterfeit
- fake
- false
- forged
- phony
- spurious
- sham
- inauthentic
- phoney
- imitation
- manufactured
- snide
- ornamental
- unauthentic
- artificial
- synthetic
- deceptive
- misleading
- mock
- simulated
- fabricated
- dummy
- factitious
- queer
- substitute
- mimic
- cultured
- nonfunctioning
- delusive
- man-made
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- real
- genuine
- authentic
- actual
- true
- bona fide
- unfaked
- valid
- natural
3
as in false
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality there was often a lot of bogus conviviality at the company's parties Synonyms & Similar Words
- false
- fake
- mock
- unnatural
- pseudo
- strained
- exaggerated
- phony
- affected
- spurious
- artificial
- mechanical
- simulated
- pretended
- assumed
- contrived
- sham
- forced
- factitious
- plastic
- phoney
- theatrical
- feigned
- cute
- unreal
- empty
- hollow
- put-on
- calculated
- theatric
- automatic
- manufactured
- hokey
- concocted
- fabricated
- unrealistic
- unauthentic
- pat
- formal
- hypocritical
- insincere
- deliberate
- canned
- labored
- stiff
- melodramatic
- conventional
- facile
- unctuous
- histrionic
- overdone
- wooden
- cutesy
- conscious
- cultivated
- stylized
- rigid
- impersonal
- simpering
- mealy
- studied
- mincing
- premeditated
- two-faced
- mealymouthed
- artful
- overacted
- genteel
- inflexible
- overrefined
- double-dealing
- goody-goody
- left-handed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- genuine
- real
- true
- natural
- authentic
- spontaneous
- artless
- realistic
- unaffected
- right
- bona fide
- sincere
- honest
- unfeigned
- easy
- uncontrived
- unforced
- smooth
- effortless
- impromptu
- unconscious
- ingenuous
- extemporaneous
- instinctive
- unstudied
- impulsive
- unpretending
- unrehearsed
- unprompted