sham

Compared meaning: a fake thing made to deceive people (noun).

比较义项：假货，用来欺骗人的假冒品（名词）。

• fake

  Refers to a concrete counterfeit item that imitates a real one; common, neutral, everyday word, often used for objects like jewelry, bags, or documents.

  指模仿真品的具体仿冒物品；是常见、语气中性的词，常用于珠宝、包包、证件等实物。

  She bought a designer bag online, but it turned out to be a fake.

  她网购了一个名牌包，结果发现是假货。

• sham 本词

  Emphasizes that something is a deceptive fraud at its core, often abstract or institutional (a scheme, marriage, trial); more formal and judgmental in tone than fake.

  强调某事物本质上是欺骗性的骗局，常用于抽象或制度性的事物（骗局、婚姻、审判）；语气比 fake 更正式、更带批判意味。

  Critics called the election a sham because the results were decided in advance.

  批评者称这场选举是一场骗局，因为结果早已内定。

Fake and sham both mean something made to deceive people. Fake refers to a copied object, like jewelry or a bag, and sounds neutral. Sham stresses that something is a fraud at its core, often abstract, like a scheme or marriage, and sounds more formal.

两词都指刻意用来骗人的假东西，但 sham 更强调这东西从根本上是骗局、名不副实，常用于抽象或制度性的骗局（如投资骗局、假婚姻）；fake 更常指具体物品的仿冒品，语气更日常、更中性。