lip service
Hollow verbal support
Lip service is verbal support or agreement that isn't backed by action or genuine commitment.
Someone who pays lip service to an idea endorses it publicly while doing nothing to advance it: The company pays lip service to diversity but hasn't changed its hiring practices.
The phrase implies insincerity—the lips move, but conviction doesn't follow.
Insincere verbal commitments
- platitudesTrite moral remarks
- perfunctoryDone with minimal effort
- superficialLacking depth or substance
- tokenismSuperficial inclusion efforts
half-hearted · noncommittal · pro forma · nominal · cursory · mechanical · going through motions · obligatory
Fraudulent imitation
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- pretenseDeceptive outward show
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
guise · dissembling · disingenuous · feigned interest · false promise · misleading · smoke and mirrors · window dressing
Unequally applied moral code
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
- sanctimonyFeigned moral superiority
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- mealy-mouthedUnwilling to speak directly
double-talk · posturing · saying one thing · crocodile tears · virtue signaling · performative · duplicity
Excessive flattery for advantage
- schmoozingCasual strategic socializing
- sweet talkFlattering persuasion
- fawningExcessive insincere flattery
- sycophancyObsequious behavior toward authority
obsequiousness · bootlicking · brownnosing · smooth talking · cajolery · blandishments · soft soap · false praise
empty promises
Insincere verbal commitments
- platitudesTrite moral remarks
- perfunctoryDone with minimal effort
- superficialLacking depth or substance
tokenism · half-hearted · noncommittal · pro forma · nominal · cursory · mechanical · going through motions · obligatory · ceremonial
sham
Fraudulent imitation
masquerade · guise · dissembling · disingenuous · feigned interest · false promise · misleading · smoke and mirrors · window dressing · subterfuge
double standard
Unequally applied moral code
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
- sanctimonyFeigned moral superiority
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
mealy-mouthed · double-talk · posturing · saying one thing · crocodile tears · virtue signaling · performative · duplicity
buttering up
Excessive flattery for advantage
- schmoozingCasual strategic socializing
- sweet talkFlattering persuasion
- fawningExcessive insincere flattery
sycophancy · obsequiousness · bootlicking · brownnosing · smooth talking · cajolery · blandishments · soft soap · false praise
- non-apologiesnon-apology, fauxpology, sorry not sorry, mistakes were made, sorry but
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- dirty trickscheating, lying, deceit, trickery, deception
- empty talkidle talk, hot air, idle chatter, drivel, babble
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- insincerityinsincerity, phoniness, fakeness, falseness, pretense
lip servicetrue devotion
lip serviceaction
Process of doing
follow-through · deeds · material support · implementation · execution
service, lip, lips, servile, servicing, serviced, disservice, subservient, lippy