window dressing

noun

Synonyms of window dressing next

: the display of merchandise in a retail store window

: the act or an instance of making something appear deceptively attractive or favorable

: something used to create a deceptively favorable or attractive impression

window-dress

ˈwin-dō-ˌdres

transitive verb

window dresser noun

Examples of window dressing in a Sentence

These changes are being made for a good reason. They're not just window dressing. the crime-does-not-pay moralizing is just window dressing for nasty hard-boiled stories

Recent Examples on the Web Racist and antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories spread by National Rally candidates came under scrutiny during the campaign sprint — and amplified questions about whether the party’s rebranding was merely window dressing. —

Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, 30 June 2024 But the code has no enforcement mechanism, leading critics to deride it as largely window dressing. —

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024 But the window dressing of new legal codes and electoral procedures sought to obscure a reality that was far from democratic. —

Renad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2023 Those songs function as inoffensive window dressing. —

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for window dressing

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'window dressing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of window dressing was in 1850

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Window dressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/window%20dressing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.

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