Phony
/ˈfoʊni/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own. informal
"He claims to be a doctor, but he's nothing but a fast-talking phony."
- 2 a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives wordnet
- 3 A person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold. informal
"He's such a phony, he doesn't believe half of what he says."
- 4 Anything fraudulent or fake. informal
"One name was a phony, but the other was the true name. The clerk remembered the man who had filed the tags since he acquired two sets of plates with different names."
Verb
- 1 To fake. informal
Adjective
- 1 Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance. informal
"A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phony one."
Adjective
- 1 fraudulent; having a misleading appearance wordnet
Example
More examples"I got sucked in on a lot of phony deals."
Etymology
Of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of fawny (“gilt brass ring used by swindlers”) (1781), from Irish fáinne (“ring”).