bogus

[boh-guhs]

adjective

1. not genuine; counterfeit; spurious; sham.

   Synonyms: phony, fake, pseudo, fraudulent

noun

1. Printing, Journalism.,  matter set, by union requirement, by a compositor and later discarded, duplicating the text of an advertisement for which a plate has been supplied or type set by another publisher.

bogus

/ ˈbəʊɡəs /

adjective

1. spurious or counterfeit; not genuine

   a bogus note

Other Word Forms

• bogusly adverb
• bogusness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bogus¹

1825–30, originally an apparatus for coining false money; perhaps akin to bogy ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bogus¹

C19: from bogus apparatus for making counterfeit money; perhaps related to _bogey ¹

Example Sentences

A victim of modern slavery says he was forced to crawl naked through sewers to steal electricity after trusting bogus employers in desperate times.

Read more on BBC

Myanmar has become infamous for these operations, which defraud victims through romantic ploys and bogus investment schemes.

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I’ll say this for the promoters of bogus stem cell treatments: They are terrific at finding new ways to market their goods and services.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One term for the scams is pig butchering, because the scammers “fatten up” their targets by entangling them in romantic relationships online and dangling bogus financial schemes, then “butcher” them by disappearing with their money.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A spokesman for Paxton called this article a “bogus hit piece” given to The Wall Street Journal by Paxton’s political enemies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fake 
• false 
• fictitious 
• forged www.thesaurus.com
• fraudulent 
• phony 
• sham 
• spurious