phony

adjective

pho·ny | \ ˈfō-nē

variants: or less commonly phoney

phonier; phoniest

Definition of phony

(Entry 1 of 4)

: not genuine or real: such as

a(1) : intended to deceive or mislead

(2) : intended to defraud : counterfeit

b : arousing suspicion : probably dishonest something phony about the story

c : having no basis in fact : fictitious phony publicity stories

d : false, sham a phony name

e : making a false show: such as

(1) : hypocritical

(2) : specious has a phony poetic elegance — New Republic

phony

noun

variants: or less commonly phoney

plural phonies also phoneys

Definition of phony (Entry 2 of 4)

: one that is phony

phony

verb

phonied; phonying

Definition of phony (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

: counterfeit, fake —often used with up a paper phonied up on the spur of the moment— William Faulkner

-phony

noun combining form

variants: or less commonly -phonia

Definition of -phony (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : sound telephony

2 usually -phonia : speech disorder of a (specified) type dysphonia

Other Words from phony Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about phony

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Did You Know?

Adjective

It's the backstory of phony that deserves our attention. Phony (which dates from the early 1900s) is believed to be an alteration of the British fawney, the word for a gilded brass ring used in a confidence game called the "fawney rig." In this game, the trickster drops a ring (or a purse with some valuables in it) and runs to pick the item up at the same time as the poor sap who notices it on the ground. The trickster asserts that the found treasure should be split between them. The one who's "found" the item, convinced now of its value, chooses instead to give the con artist some money in order to keep the item, which is, of course, phony.

Examples of phony in a Sentence

Adjective

a phony watch with a designer logo she always has this phony smile just before she betrays you

Noun

According to him, politics is full of phonies. I don't think she ever meant to help us. What a phony!

Verb

the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Prosecutors say for at least a decade beginning in 2006, Sebesta had money sent to bank accounts in his name, the names of his family members and several phony companies. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Former LA church chairman charged with $11.4M theft," 26 Aug. 2019 He is accused of using phony documents to establish a false identity for him and his son. — David Owens, courant.com, "Canadian man suspected of kidnapping son in 1987 and living under assumed name in Vernon pleads guilty to federal charge, faces extradition to Canada," 22 Aug. 2019 This might be accomplished by sending a phony-but-convincing-looking email, for example. — Justin Rohrlich, Quartz, "Online “people finder” sites are a blessing for identity thieves," 20 Aug. 2019 The former employee then retaliated by bringing phony documents to the U.S. attorney's office and told prosecutors the Chrisleys had committed financial crimes, Chrisley wrote. — CBS News, "Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley plead not guilty to tax evasion charges," 14 Aug. 2019 The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback then flung open both doors, revealing dozens of phony bank money bags and a huge smile. — Jeff Bailey, The Denver Post, "Nuggets enter 2019-20 season with best young core in NBA, according to The Ringer," 25 July 2019 Some genuine relationships do start out that way, but problems arise if the victim is convinced to send money to this phony friend or boyfriend or girlfriend. — cleveland.com, "Senior scams on the rise as new cons emerge: Here’s how to protect yourself," 30 June 2019 Western European nations such as France and Germany, with strong cultures of independent journalism and governments actively fighting disinformation, resisted phony news stories well. — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, "EU: Russians interfered in our elections, too," 14 June 2019 Google Maps only removed the phony listing this week, thanks to Plachta’s reporting. — Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: A YouTube star’s fans listed his mansion as a homeless shelter. Then the needy showed up.," 2 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

According to Roberts, Ross’s rationale—that the Justice Department needed citizenship data from the Census Bureau to better enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965—was phony. — Cristian Farias, The New Yorker, "The Battle Over the Census Citizenship Question Is Now About Civil Rights," 8 July 2019

phony

Definition of phony

Other Words from phony

Synonyms & Antonyms for phony

Did You Know?

Examples of phony in a Sentence

phony

Definition of phony

Other Words from phony

Synonyms & Antonyms for phony

Did You Know?

Examples of phony in a Sentence

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