1
as in butter
excessive praise
laid the blarney on thick in order to get special treatment from the waitress
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
his excuse was his usual blarney about how he'd love to help out but he was just so darned busy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to coax
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
attendants at the nursing home sometimes have to blarney the patients to take their medicine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to honey
to praise too much
an eager, young assistant who blarneys the boss shamelessly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blarney
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022
This might come as a surprise given the outsized and blarney-filled headlines on social media to the contrary.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 June 2022
Menu: soda bread with Irish whiskey butter and fried cabbage and rashers; pork bangers and Irish colcannon with red onion gravy and blarney stones and Irish bananas.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 9 Mar. 2022
The blarney is still strong here (lapsing into Irish dialect is an occupational hazard of reading him), but these characters also act.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for blarney
Noun
After years of listening to Boris Johnson’s blarney, many Britons have had their fill, at least for now, of hot air cleverly channelled.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022
This might come as a surprise given the outsized and blarney-filled headlines on social media to the contrary.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 June 2022
Menu: soda bread with Irish whiskey butter and fried cabbage and rashers; pork bangers and Irish colcannon with red onion gravy and blarney stones and Irish bananas.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 9 Mar. 2022
The blarney is still strong here (lapsing into Irish dialect is an occupational hazard of reading him), but these characters also act.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for blarney
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blarney
Noun
-
Finished with butter, this chicken is at home served with Roasted Potatoes, green beans, or old-school Stick of Butter Rice.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
-
In a clip from the 2006 special, the Duggars detail their purchases, which include 24 cans of milk, a case of butter and plenty of burritos.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This smacks of fake tough guy nonsense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And then a lot of nonsense, which comes with the script.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Steve gently coaxes him back to school, where the film crew is causing havoc.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
After ordering his security detail to cut the feed on all his cameras, Prater captures Harrison at gunpoint and coaxes Dexter to return to the wine room.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
-
Enjoy flavored nuts, such as those that are candied, glazed, or honied, in moderation.—
Selene Yeager,
Health,
24 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
And when the offer comes, don’t rely on flattery.—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
In aggregate, users favored responses full of agreement and flattery.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Rather, the Mediterranean diet simply underscores that the majority of your plate consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, Goldstein says.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Don’t want nuts but still want the crunch?—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One fellow-freestyler praised her ingenuity but said that, in a creative category with many strong contenders, her victory was a bit disappointing.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Reviewers praise its atmospheric setting and rich world-building, but some criticised its punishing difficulty.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Korean taffy candy is considered good luck, specifically for the CSAT.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Volunteers in yellow shirts handed out grapes, watermelon, taffy and Gatorade to community members, and white candles to be lit.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blarney.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blarney. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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