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Glite Dictionary
trumped-up

trumped-up

11 7.9
Fake charges made to blame someone unfairly
  • adjective
  • /ˈtrʌmpt ʌp/
: falsificado
  • It was a trumped up charge.
  • trumped-up charges

Dsalls doesn't take this will and uses his political influence to have Valentino arrested on trumped up vice charges.

Examples

  • Two dozen Pforzheim Jews were arrested on trumped-up charges and sent to Dachau concentration camp.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Many journalists face trumped-up charges when investigating corruption in the government.

  • The five of us were brought in on a trumped-up charge.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • One thing's for sure, this has nothing to do with the trumped-up accusation.

    Blog text (1)

  • At the beginning of his reign, Sogenus had him arrested on trumped up charges of treason.

  • He was arrested in October 2003 on trumped-up charges of tax evasion, fraud, and money laundering.

    Academic text (2011)

  • On January 29, Egyptian security forces arrested Ayman Nour, leader of the opposition Ghad Party, on trumped-up forgery charges.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The politician was taken into custody on a trumped-up accusation that prompted widespread outrage.

  • The activists were wrongfully imprisoned due to a trumped-up case that lacked any real evidence.

Synonyms

fabricated
vstrumped-up
19 6.0

Made up and not true, often to trick people

aims specifically to make false accusations against someone
feigned
vstrumped-up
8 6.8

Pretended to be true to make others believe it

aims to invent an accusation to deceive rather than be an insincere show
pretended
vstrumped-up
3 4.7

Made to seem real to trick people

aims to make someone look guilty rather than merely seem real
put-up
vstrumped-up
  • Informal
2 8.1

Arranged secretly to make something look real but trick people

aims to create false charges rather than involve secret planning
pretextual
vstrumped-up
1 9.0

Made for a false reason to hide the real purpose

aims to blame someone with a false accusation rather than hide motives

Antonyms

genuine
140 3.2

Truly felt and not fake, for example a smile or apology

truthful
114 1.3

Always saying what really happened and not lying

How False

trumped-up
11 7.9
fabricated
19 6.0
false
906 1.0
unfounded
47 5.6
mistaken
244 3.4

Surface Forms

trumped-up positive

Morphology

trumped-up = trump up (transparent) = trump + up + ed

The adjective is the past participle form of the phrasal verb 'trump up' (to fabricate), so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

The word trumped-up comes from the phrase trump up, which means 'to make up' or 'invent' something to trick people. Think of trump, a strong playing card used 'to win'. A 'trumped-up' charge is a false accusation put together to beat or punish someone, so it now means a deliberately false or invented accusation.