phony

1 of 4

adjective

pho·​ny ˈfō-nē How to pronounce phony (audio)
variants or less commonly phoney
phonier; phoniest
: 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)
(2)
: specious
has a phony poetic eleganceNew Republic
phonily adverb
phoniness noun

phony

2 of 4

noun

variants or less commonly phoney
plural phonies also phoneys
: one that is phony

phony

3 of 4

verb

phonied; phonying

transitive verb

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

-phony

4 of 4

noun combining form

variants or less commonly -phonia
1
: sound
telephony
2
usually -phonia : speech disorder of a (specified) type
dysphonia

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The scammers use social media such as Facebook and Instagram to market their phony products as well as a variety of online marketplaces and fake retail websites. Steve Weisman, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 Oxford police responded to the bank on Friday around 3:40 p.m. on the report of someone using a phony ID to access a customer’s account information, according to Connecticut State Police. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
When top deepfake detectors only catch the phonies 75% of the time, according to reports, being vigilant against fraud is vital. Chris Westfall, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024 Romney had been one of Trump’s most strident critics in the 2016 election, calling him a phony and a fraud. Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2024
Verb
What constitutes the crime is to phony up business accounting records to disguise the payments. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024 In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms. Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018 See all Example Sentences for phony 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

perhaps alteration of fawney gilded brass ring used in the fawney rig, a confidence game, from Irish fáinne ring, from Old Irish ánne — more at anus

Noun

derivative of phony entry 1

Verb

derivative of phony entry 1 or phony entry 2

Noun combining form

borrowed from Greek -phōnia, from -phōnos "having a sound (of the kind or number specified)" (derivative of phōnḗ "sound made by something living, voice, speech, utterance") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at phono-

First Known Use

Adjective

1889, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1902, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phony was in 1889

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Dictionary Entries Near phony

Cite this Entry

“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phony. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

phony

1 of 2 adjective
pho·​ny
variants also phoney
phonier; phoniest
: not genuine or real: as
a(1)
: intended to deceive or mislead
(2)
: counterfeit entry 2 sense 1
a phony $10 bill
b
: causing suspicion : probably dishonest
sounds like a phony excuse to me
c
: fictitious, false
gave a phony name to the police
phoniness noun

phony

2 of 2 noun
variants also phoney
plural phonies also phoneys
: a phony person or thing

More from Merriam-Webster on phony

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