phony
or pho·ney
[ foh-nee ]
/ ˈfoʊ ni /
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adjective, pho·ni·er, pho·ni·est.
not real or genuine; fake; counterfeit: a phony diamond.
false or deceiving; not truthful; concocted: a phony explanation.
insincere or deceitful; affected or pretentious: a phony sales representative.
noun, plural pho·nies.
something that is phony; a counterfeit or fake.
an insincere, pretentious, or deceitful person: He thought my friends were a bunch of phonies.
verb (used with object), pho·nied, pho·ny·ing.
to falsify; counterfeit; fabricate (often followed by up): to phony up a document.
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Origin of phony
1895–1900; perhaps alteration and respelling of fawney (slang) finger ring (<Irish fsptáinne), if taken to mean “false” in the phrase fawney rig a confidence game in which a brass ring is sold as a gold one
OTHER WORDS FROM phony
pho·ni·ly, adverbpho·ni·ness, nounOther definitions for phony (2 of 2)
-phony
a combining form used in the formation of abstract nouns corresponding to nouns ending in -phone: telephony.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use phony in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for phony (1 of 2)
phony
/ (ˈfəʊnɪ) /
adjective, noun -nier or -niest or plural -nies
a variant spelling (esp US) of phoney
Derived forms of phony
phoniness, nounBritish Dictionary definitions for phony (2 of 2)
-phony
n combining form
indicating a specified type of soundcacophony; euphony
Derived forms of -phony
-phonic, adj combining formWord Origin for -phony
from Greek -phōnia, from phōnē sound
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for phony
-phony
suff.
Sound:microphony.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.