Sham — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

a person who makes deceitful pretenses

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ʃˈæm/

🇬🇧British English

/ʃˈam/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ʃˈam/

1 syllable Say it as /ʃˈæm/.

Examples

She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger
he feigned sleep
He feigned that he was ill

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

role player pretender fictive simulate false faker affect fake assumed feign imposter pretend dissemble pseud impostor postiche put on fictitious shammer fraud pretended assume pseudo

Parts of Speech

noun	something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
verb	make a pretence of “She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger”
verb	make believe with the intent to deceive “He feigned that he was ill”
adjective	adopted in order to deceive “an assumed name”

Word Forms

fake	adjective	not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article
fake	verb	speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths
sham	adjective	adopted in order to deceive
sham	verb	make believe with the intent to deceive
pretend	verb	behave unnaturally or affectedly
simulation	noun	the act of giving a false appearance
sham	noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
shammer	noun	someone shirking their duty by feigning illness or incapacity
feigning	noun	the act of giving a false appearance
pretender	noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
pretense	noun	pretending with intention to deceive
pretending	noun	the act of giving a false appearance
dissembler	noun	a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
dissembling	noun	pretending with intention to deceive
falseness	noun	the quality of not being open or truthful; deceitful or hypocritical
fiction	noun	a deliberately false or improbable account

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Schein

etwas, das eine Fälschung ist; nicht das, was es zu sein scheint

🇫🇷French

faux

quelque chose qui est une contrefaçon ; pas ce que ça semble être

🇪🇸Spanish

impostor

algo que es una falsificación; no es lo que parece ser

🇮🇹Italian

farsa

qualcosa che è contraffatto; non quello che sembra essere

🇳🇱Dutch

schijn

iets dat namaak is; niet wat het lijkt te zijn

🇵🇹Portuguese

farsa

algo que é falsificado; não é o que parece ser

🇷🇺Russian

притворство

что-то поддельное; не то, чем кажется

India

🇮🇳Hindi

दिखावा

कुछ ऐसा जो नकली है; जैसा दिखता है वैसा नहीं है

🇧🇩Bengali

শাম

এমন কিছু যা জাল; এটা কি মনে হয় না

🇮🇳Tamil

போலி

போலியான ஒன்று; அது போல் இல்லை

🇮🇳Telugu

బూటకము

నకిలీ అని ఏదో; అనిపించేది కాదు

🇮🇳Marathi

शेम

काहीतरी बनावट आहे; ते दिसते तसे नाही

🇮🇳Gujarati

શેમ

કંઈક કે જે નકલી છે; તે જે લાગે છે તે નથી

🇮🇳Kannada

ನೆಪ

ನಕಲಿ ಎಂದು ಏನೋ; ಅದು ತೋರುತ್ತಿರುವಂತೆ ಅಲ್ಲ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വ്യാജം

വ്യാജമായ എന്തെങ്കിലും; തോന്നുന്നത് പോലെയല്ല

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸ਼ਰਮ

ਕੋਈ ਚੀਜ਼ ਜੋ ਨਕਲੀ ਹੈ; ਨਹੀਂ ਜੋ ਇਹ ਜਾਪਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

شرم

ایسی چیز جو جعلی ہے؛ ایسا نہیں جو لگتا ہے

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

假

假货；不是看上去的那样

🇯🇵Japanese

見せかけの

偽物であるもの。見た目とは違う

🇰🇷Korean

가짜

위조된 것; 그럴 것 같지는 않아

🇻🇳Vietnamese

giả tạo

thứ gì đó là hàng giả; không phải những gì nó có vẻ là

🇹🇭Thai

เสแสร้ง

สิ่งที่เป็นของปลอม ไม่ใช่สิ่งที่ดูเหมือนเป็น

🇮🇩Indonesian

palsu

sesuatu yang palsu; tidak seperti yang terlihat

🇵🇭Filipino

pagkukunwari

isang bagay na peke; hindi kung ano ang tila

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

صورية

شيء مزيف؛ ليس كما يبدو

🇮🇷Persian

ساختگی

چیزی که تقلبی است؛ نه آن چیزی که به نظر می رسد

🇹🇷Turkish

sahte

sahte olan bir şey; göründüğü gibi değil

🇮🇱Hebrew

בְּלוֹף

משהו שהוא זיוף; לא מה שזה נראה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'sham'?

The primary meaning of 'sham' is 'something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'sham' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'sham' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'sham' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'sham' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'sham' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'sham' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'sham' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'sham' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'sham' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'sham' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted