trumpery
noun
Washington Irving
Did you know?
Trumpery derives from the Middle English trompery and ultimately from the Middle French tromper, meaning "to deceive." (You can see the meaning of this root reflected in the French phrase trompe-l'oeil-literally, "deceives the eye"-which in English refers to a style of painting with photographically realistic detail.) Trumpery first appeared in English in the mid-15th century with the meanings "deceit or fraud" (a sense that is now obsolete) and "worthless nonsense." Less than 100 years later, it was being applied to material objects of little or no value. The verb phrase trump up means "to concoct with the intent to deceive," but there is most likely no etymological connection between this phrase and trumpery.
Synonyms
- applesauce [slang]
- balderdash
- baloney
- boloney
- beans
- bilge
- blah
- blah-blah
- blarney
- blather
- blatherskite
- blither
- bosh
- bull [slang]
- bunk
- bunkum
- buncombe
- claptrap
- codswallop [British]
- crapola [slang]
- crock
- drivel
- drool
- fiddle
- fiddle-faddle
- fiddlesticks
- flannel [British]
- flapdoodle
- folderol
- falderal
- folly
- foolishness
- fudge
- garbage
- guff
- hogwash
- hokeypokey
- hokum
- hoodoo
- hooey
- horsefeathers [slang]
- humbug
- humbuggery
- jazz
- malarkey
- malarky
- moonshine
- muck
- nerts [slang]
- nonsense
- nuts
- piffle
- poppycock
- punk
- rot
- rubbish
- senselessness
- silliness
- slush
- stupidity
- taradiddle
- tarradiddle
- tommyrot
- tosh
- trash
- twaddle
Example Sentences
Peter Bergen, CNN, 28 May 2022 So will the border continue to vanish in the face of nativist backlash and a trumpery, gimcrack wall? Felipe Fernández-armesto, WSJ, 25 June 2018 Word History
Middle English (Scots) trompery deceit, from Middle French, from tromper to deceive
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
trumpery 1 of 2
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- cheap
- terrible
- poor
- inferior
- rotten
- coarse
- bad
- worthless
- common
- gimcrack
- rubbishy
- useless
- wretched
- schlock
- execrable
- shoddy
- cheapjack
- trashy
- counterfeit
- junky
- miserable
- bum
- mediocre
- cheesy
- fake
- sleazy
- crappy
- lousy
- valueless
- shlock
- shlocky
- schlocky
- low-grade
- meretricious
- tawdry
- low-rent
- cut-rate
- second-rate
- bargain-basement
- gaudy
- kitsch
- showy
- ostentatious
- indifferent
- kitschy
- garish
- shabby
- glitzy
- el cheapo
- tacky
- lackluster
- sham
- flashy
- swank
- phony
- seedy
- splashy
- second-class
- brummagem
- swanky
- phoney
- ultracheap
- supercheap
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fine
- good
- excellent
- superior
- elegant
- tasteful
- handsome
- first-rate
- first-class
- high-grade
- top-notch
- refined
- polished
- handcrafted
trumpery
2 of 2noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- nonsense
- garbage
- rubbish
- silliness
- nuts
- stupidity
- blah
- twaddle
- piffle
- humbuggery
- drool
- claptrap
- balderdash
- bunk
- trash
- foolishness
- muck
- bunkum
- hokum
- tosh
- poppycock
- falderal
- flapdoodle
- baloney
- folderol
- blither
- hogwash
- jazz
- tommyrot
- guff
- blatherskite
- bosh
- hooey
- fiddlesticks
- beans
- insanity
- craziness
- bilge
- folly
- humbug
- madness
- absurdity
- malarkey
- crock
- buncombe
- bull
- fiddle
- punk
- blather
- blarney
- fiddle-faddle
- rot
- boloney
- drivel
- codswallop
- fudge
- crapola
- blah-blah
- tarradiddle
- malarky
- horsefeathers
- taradiddle
- foolery
- applesauce
- hoodoo
- senselessness
- flannel
- moonshine
- idiocy
- imbecility
- fatuity
- asininity
- absurdness
- nerts
- inanity
- tomfoolery
- slush
- greek
- hokeypokey
- witlessness
- gas
- rigmarole
- lunacy
- kookiness
- hot air
- inaneness
- hocus-pocus
- hoity-toity
- rigamarole
- monkey business
- shenanigan(s)
- monkeyshine(s)
- double-talk
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reasonableness
- sensibleness
- rationality
- reasonability
- sense
- horse sense
- wisdom
- discernment
- judgment
- judgement
- levelheadedness
- common sense