trumped up
Made up dishonestly
Trumped up describes charges, accusations, or evidence that have been fabricated or exaggerated to serve an ulterior motive: He was arrested on trumped-up charges.
The phrase suggests deliberate falsification—someone invented or inflated the basis for action.
From an older sense of trump meaning to deceive or cheat.
- bogusCounterfeit or fraudulent
- fakeNot the real thing
- made upConcocted or reconciled
- cooked upInvented or fabricated
- concoctedCreated by combining elements
unreal · falsified · fraudulent · false pretenses · fabricated · pack of lies · unfounded · fictitious · forged · spurious · sham · deceitful · contrived · drummed up · invalid · baseless · phony · untrue
evidentiary basis
trumped upwell-founded
Having sound basis
substantiated · well-grounded · supported · justified · founded
intent/honesty
trumped uphonest
Free from deception
truthful · good-faith · aboveboard · straightforward · on the level