sham
Not the genuine
A sham is something false presented as genuine—a pretense or counterfeit: The election was a sham.
A person who pretends to be something they're not is also a sham: He's a sham and a fraud.
As a verb, to sham is to fake: shamming illness to avoid work.
The adjective describes things meant to deceive: sham outrage, sham marriages.
A pillow sham is a decorative cover—ornamental rather than functional.
Deliberate deception for effect
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- conArgument against
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- trickeryDeliberate deception or fraud
ruse · ploy · stratagem · subterfuge · chicanery · duplicity · guile · artifice
Faker claiming false expertise
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- fakerOne who pretends
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
- quackFake healer or fowl noise
mountebank · con artist · huckster · deceiver · cheat · trickster · impersonator · snake oil salesman
Fraudulent imitation
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- bogusCounterfeit or fraudulent
- spuriousFalse though appearing genuine
- ersatzArtificial and inferior substitute
imitation · forgery · pseudo · fabricated · simulated · artificial · dummy · replica
Pretend to have
- simulateImitate through modeling
- actDeed or performance
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
- play-actPerform pretend scenarios
impersonate · pose · dissemble · affect · put-on · facade · front · veneer
Deliberate falsehood
- fictionImagined narrative work
- untruthA false statement
- fableMoral tale with animals
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
fabrication · canard · whopper · mendacity · falsification · misrepresentation · prevarication · tall tale
Cushion for aesthetics only
- cushion coverTextile envelope for padding
- pillowcaseFabric cover for bedding
- throw pillowDecorative sofa cushion
- ornamentalFor beauty, not function
hoax
Deliberate deception for effect
trickery · ruse · ploy · stratagem · subterfuge · chicanery · duplicity · guile · artifice · sleight
charlatan
Faker claiming false expertise
quack · mountebank · con artist · huckster · deceiver · cheat · trickster · impersonator · snake oil salesman · confidence man
counterfeit
Fraudulent imitation
ersatz · imitation · forgery · pseudo · fabricated · simulated · artificial · dummy · replica · knockoff
feign
Pretend to have
- simulateImitate through modeling
- actDeed or performance
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
play-act · impersonate · pose · dissemble · affect · put-on · facade · front · veneer · show
lie
Deliberate falsehood
fib · fabrication · canard · whopper · mendacity · falsification · misrepresentation · prevarication · tall tale · invention
decorative pillow
Cushion for aesthetics only
- cushion coverTextile envelope for padding
- pillowcaseFabric cover for bedding
- throw pillowDecorative sofa cushion
ornamental · decorative · linen · bedspread · accent pillow
- sham marriageUnion for legal benefits only
- pillow shamOrnamental bedding sleeve
- sham election
- shamrock shakeMinty green seasonal milkshake
- euro shamOversized square pillowcase
- shamrock greenBright Irish plant hue