fig leaf

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fig leaf Yet claims of conservation appear to be a mere fig leaf for certain commercial safari ranches. Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Sep. 2024 These gestures have been welcomed by Western governments, though many experts discount them as a fig leaf. Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024 To put it another way, the technology shouldn’t be employed as a fig leaf for fashion to keep churning out ever-increasing quantities of synthetics. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019 Since the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a rapt global audience has followed in real time a spectacle usually reserved for the most senior levels of government: the fashioning of an exculpatory fig leaf for an atrocity. Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2018 See all Example Sentences for fig leaf 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fig leaf
Noun
  • But behind the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam threatens to invade the country.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024
  • The resort reproduces an ancient Apulian town and farmhouse in a project that some locals have likened to a Mediterranean Potemkin village.
    Emma Bubola, New York Times, 11 June 2024
Noun
  • The screen behind them had to be cut down to get through the door.
    Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Once upon a time this actor embodied Hollywood’s idea of an Iraq War-era soldier, but his screen persona has evolved to the point that his presence alone now feels like a punchline.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • And this doesn’t factor in Greenland, with its massive – if declining – freshwater ice shield.
    Peter A. Coclanis, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
  • But Danielle’s odd choices of who to give shields to raise eyebrows.
    Nick Caruso, TVLine, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Layer Over Blinds Create a warm and cozy space by layering curtains over blinds or Roman shades.
    Macie Stump, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Smart lights, blinds, appliances and electronics are controlled by voice commands using Google Home.
    Michael Kaminer, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near fig leaf

Cite this Entry

“Fig leaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fig%20leaf. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

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