fig leaf
noun
1
: the leaf of a fig tree
2
[from the use by Adam and Eve of fig leaves to cover their nakedness after eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:7)]
: something that conceals or camouflages usually inadequately or dishonestly
Examples of fig leaf in a Sentence
Opponents claim that the humanitarian goals of the project are just a fig leaf, and that its real purpose is to make money.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
The former president knocked wind and solar energy, before quickly offering a fig leaf to clean energy companies.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fig leaf 
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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
The former president knocked wind and solar energy, before quickly offering a fig leaf to clean energy companies.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fig leaf
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Cite this Entry
“Fig leaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fig%20leaf. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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