phoney

[foh-nee]

adjective

phonier, phoniest ,

plural

phoneys , phoneyed, phoneying .

1. phony.

phoney

/ ˈfəʊnɪ /

adjective

1. not genuine; fake

2. (of a person) insincere or pretentious

noun

1. an insincere or pretentious person

2. something that is not genuine; a fake

Other Word Forms

• phoneyness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of phoney¹

C20: origin uncertain

Example Sentences

For years, phoney modelling agencies have been taking cash from young people desperate for a leg up into the industry, charging hundreds for fake portfolios and jobs that never materialise.

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It does not feel like that level of claustrophobia will be part of this week, but the fans on the practice days have been good-naturedly engaging in the 'phoney war'.

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Now, though, we enter the phoney war; four long weeks of build-up that will see both teams gain competitive reps on either side of the Atlantic.

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Antoni, who has a PhD in economics, has previously criticised the BLS, questioning its methodology and calling its statistics "phoney baloney".

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For crofters, the war led to a public inquiry and eventually legislation that protected their land rights - and hopefully any chance of ever being scammed by phoney lady novelists again.

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