variants
also phoney
1
as in fake
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
a phony watch with a designer logo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bogus
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
she always has this phony smile just before she betrays you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in meaningless
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
her concern for our welfare is as phony as all get-out—she just wants to know our business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also phoney
1
as in counterfeit
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the fancy "emerald" ring turned out to be a phony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sham
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the person who performed the liposuction operation was later discovered to be a phony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to fake
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of phony
Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Oct. 2024
Barack Obama knocks Donald Trump for phony masculinity, urges men to back Kamala Harris Kari Lake won't apologize for putting focus on Ruben Gallego's divorce Who is winning the 2024 presidential election?
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2024
Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024
Heather mocks Eric as a phony who is fascinated by his own image; Andre speaks earnestly about wanting his band to be authentic.
—Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, 15 June 2024
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 
Adjective
Drug Dealers are advertising cocaine on government websites Drug dealers aren’t just creating phony websites.
—Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Oct. 2024
Barack Obama knocks Donald Trump for phony masculinity, urges men to back Kamala Harris Kari Lake won't apologize for putting focus on Ruben Gallego's divorce Who is winning the 2024 presidential election?
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2024
Noun
The Greek absurdist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is a phony.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024
Heather mocks Eric as a phony who is fascinated by his own image; Andre speaks earnestly about wanting his band to be authentic.
—Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, 15 June 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phony
Adjective
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April 25: Trump is named an unindicted co-conspirator in Arizona fake election scheme charges.Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
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The show uses every trick in the book from fake snow (actually soap suds) raining down on the audience to towering puppets walking in, and acrobats swinging down with a huge arc of water spray fanning out from their feet behind them.Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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In the last few days, the intelligence agencies have issued further public notifications that—presumably as part of the same scheme—Russia was behind bogus videos falsely depicting someone in Pennsylvania ripping up ballots and Haitians illegally voting in Georgia.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
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Trump and his allies have also continued to repeat the lie that the former president won in 2020, a bogus claim amplified in right-wing media that led to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.Hadas Gold, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has argued the requirement is meaningless because mail ballots are time stamped upon their receipt by election officials, a position backed by Pennsylvania’s Republican secretary of state.Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024
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Without ads, that would be a meaningless statistic.Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
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For many brands, the process of identifying counterfeits starts with conducting test purchases of products online.Annie Palmer,Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
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Crane specializes in micro-optic securities to protect products against counterfeits.Pia Singh, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The 2023 trial that led to his death sentence had been widely condemned as a sham by Germany, the United States and multiple international human rights organizations.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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The elections promised by the junta, slated for 2025, have also been denounced both domestically and internationally as a sham that would grant the junta the guise of legitimacy but offer little actual democracy.Koh Ewe, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Between the lines: PBM reform has forged some unusual coalitions in Congress.Peter Sullivan, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
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In the world of social impact, where corporate responsibility intersects with purposeful leadership, Jeremy Brown has forged a unique path.Afdhel Aziz, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Bear in mind that his campaign was replete with false claims — about immigration, jobs, inflation, crime and more.Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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Oz is the Penguin now — like everyone in Batman’s Rogues Gallery, a caricature of his own trauma, drawn to criminal means of false liberation.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This could certainly change if the Rockets land a certain French teenager in this year's draft lottery, but the first half of 2022-23 has assuaged some concerns about the long-term viability of a pseudo-twin-towers in the starting lineup with Jabari Smith flanked by Alperen Şengün.Michael Shapiro, Chron, 15 Jan. 2023
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In a code division scheme, each call is encoded in a random or pseudo-random sequencing, and receivers at the other end are equipped to decode their own calls.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2021
Thesaurus Entries Near phony
Cite this Entry
“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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