phoney
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not genuine; fake
-
(of a person) insincere or pretentious
noun
-
an insincere or pretentious person
-
something that is not genuine; a fake
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of phoney
C20: origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was the period of what is referred to as the "Phoney War," the early months of World War II.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024
Casting this as self-aggrandisement, the satirical magazine Private Eye nicknamed him the "Phoney Pharaoh".
From Reuters • Sep. 1, 2023
"And so Phoney Ladies came from that conversation… I wrote it in my kitchen in Kensal Rise. The bed and my kitchen are my favourite working places!"
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2020
The cover of the first card on the rack that wraps around the room shows hands of assorted colors pointing to the words "You're a Liar, a Manipulator, a Phoney and an Adulterer!"
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2016
"Overlook all the Phoney Acting by the Little Lady, Bud," said the Fireman to the Advance Agent.
From More Fables by Ade, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
