'Sham' definitions:
Definition of 'sham'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an assumed cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish voice"; "sham modesty" [syn: assumed, false, fictitious, fictive, pretended, put on, sham]
noun
noun
A person who makes deceitful pretenses [syn: imposter, impostor, pretender, fake, faker, fraud, sham, shammer, pseudo, pseud, role player]
verb
Make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep" [syn: simulate, assume, sham, feign]
verb
Definition of 'Sham'
From: GCIDE
- Sham \Sham\, v. i. To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose. [1913 Webster]
- Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were such fools as they professed to be, or were only shamming. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Sham'
From: GCIDE
- Sham \Sham\ (sh[a^]m), n. [Originally the same word as shame, hence, a disgrace, a trick. See Shame, n.]
- 1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or device that deludes and disappoints; a make-believe; delusion; imposture; humbug. "A mere sham." --Bp. Stillingfleet. [1913 Webster]
- Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
- 2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering. [1913 Webster]
- Pillow sham, a covering to be laid on a pillow. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Sham'
From: GCIDE
- Sham \Sham\, a. False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham fight. [1913 Webster]
- They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians. --Jowett (Thucyd) [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Sham'
From: GCIDE
- Sham \Sham\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shammed; p. pr. & vb. n. Shamming.]
- 1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses. [1913 Webster]
- Fooled and shammed into a conviction. --L'Estrange. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.] [1913 Webster]
- We must have a care that we do not . . . sham fallacies upon the world for current reason. --L'Estrange. [1913 Webster]
- 3. To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign. [1913 Webster]
- To sham Abram or To sham Abraham, to feign sickness; to malinger. Hence a malingerer is called, in sailors' cant, Sham Abram, or Sham Abraham. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'sham'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- act,
- act a part,
- acting,
- adulterated,
- affect,
- affectation,
- affected,
- affectedness,
- airs,
- airs and graces,
- alibi,
- ape,
- apocryphal,
- apology,
- appearance,
- artificial,
- artificiality,
- assume,
- assumed,
- attitudinizing,
- bastard,
- blagueur,
- blazon,
- blind,
- bluff,
- bluffer,
- bluffing,
- bogus,
- bravura,
- brilliancy,
- brummagem,
- burlesque,
- cant,
- caricature,
- charlatan,
- cheat,
- cheating,
- clinquant,
- cloak,
- color,
- colorable,
- colored,
- coloring,
- copy,
- counterfeit,
- counterfeited,
- cover,
- cover story,
- cover up,
- cover-up,
- create,
- daring,
- dash,
- deceit,
- deception,
- delusion,
- demonstration,
- device,
- disguise,
- display,
- dissemblance,
- dissemble,
- dissembling,
- dissimulate,
- dissimulation,
- distorted,
- do a bit,
- dramatics,
- dramatize,
- dressed up,
- dummy,
- eclat,
- embellished,
- embroidered,
- ersatz,
- etalage,
- excuse,
- exhibition,
- exhibitionism,
- facade,
- face,
- factitious,
- fake,
- faked,
- fakement,
- faker,
- fakery,
- faking,
- false,
- false air,
- false front,
- false show,
- falsified,
- falsity,
- fanfaronade,
- farce,
- feign,
- feigned,
- feigned belief,
- feigning,
- feint,
- fictitious,
- fictive,
- figure,
- flair,
- flam,
- flaunt,
- flaunting,
- flourish,
- forged,
- forgery,
- four-flush,
- four-flushing,
- fourflusher,
- frame-up,
- fraud,
- fraudulent,
- front,
- gammon,
- garbled,
- gilt,
- gloss,
- guise,
- handle,
- histrionics,
- histrionize,
- hoax,
- hokey,
- humbug,
- humbuggery,
- hypocrisy,
- hypocritical,
- hypocriticalness,
- illegitimate,
- image,
- imitate,
- imitation,
- impersonator,
- impostor,
- imposture,
- insincerity,
- invent,
- junk,
- junky,
- lame excuse,
- let on,
- let on like,
- lie,
- locus standi,
- made-up,
- make a pretense,
- make as if,
- make believe,
- make like,
- make out like,
- make-believe,
- malingerer,
- man-made,
- manifestation,
- mannerism,
- mask,
- masquerade,
- mere show,
- meretriciousness,
- mislead,
- mock,
- mountebank,
- ostensible motive,
- ostentation,
- outward show,
- overact,
- pageant,
- pageantry,
- parade,
- paste,
- pecksniffery,
- perverted,
- pharisaicalness,
- pharisaism,
- phony,
- pinchbeck,
- plagiarized,
- plaster,
- play,
- play a part,
- play a scene,
- play possum,
- playact,
- playacting,
- poor excuse,
- pose,
- poser,
- poseur,
- posing,
- posture,
- pretend,
- pretended,
- pretender,
- pretense,
- pretension,
- pretext,
- profess,
- protestation,
- prunes and prisms,
- pseudo,
- public image,
- public motive,
- put on,
- put on airs,
- put-off,
- put-on,
- put-up job,
- putting on airs,
- quack,
- quacksalver,
- quackster,
- quasi,
- queer,
- refuge,
- representation,
- ringer,
- rip-off,
- saltimbanco,
- sanctimoniousness,
- sanctimony,
- screen,
- seeming,
- self-styled,
- sell,
- semblance,
- shammer,
- shoddy,
- show,
- showing-off,
- simulacrum,
- simulate,
- simulated,
- simulation,
- smoke screen,
- snide,
- so-called,
- soi-disant,
- speciousness,
- spectacle,
- splash,
- splurge,
- spoof,
- spurious,
- staginess,
- stalking-horse,
- stratagem,
- stylishness,
- substitute,
- subterfuge,
- supposititious,
- swindle,
- synthetic,
- Tartuffery,
- Tartuffism,
- theatrics,
- tin,
- tinsel,
- titivated,
- travesty,
- trick,
- tug the heartstrings,
- twisted,
- unauthentic,
- ungenuine,
- unnatural,
- unnaturalness,
- unreal,
- varnish,
- vaunt,
- veil,
- warped,
- wear,
- whited sepulcher,
- window dressing