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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of phony
Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
The department ultimately spent over $5 million on phony claims.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 July 2024
His character, called The Passenger, is unpredictable, violent and has no patience for phonies, though there is an emotional key to his madness.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 July 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
The jurors were told that despite three years passing since the incident, no one mentioned the phony gun to authorities until the day jury selection began at the trial.
—Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
The department ultimately spent over $5 million on phony claims.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
The comment was Vance's response after Beshear had previously called him a phony and not a Kentuckian and implied heavily that nepotism was the only reason Beshear is governor.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 July 2024
His character, called The Passenger, is unpredictable, violent and has no patience for phonies, though there is an emotional key to his madness.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 July 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
-
North Korean group Famous Chollima created fake LinkedIn profiles and used AI for job interviews to land positions at tech companies.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
However, the boom in AI image generation and the availability of photo editing software mean that fake images are easier to create than ever.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But Trump’s claims, as reports have already pointed out, are bogus.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
-
This attack uses bogus codes that link accounts to devices operated by the hackers who send them.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The law, after all, is meaningless if no one can enforce it.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
18 Mar. 2025
-
That figure is meaningless, Reyes said, because there was no comparison offered to the deployment rate of servicemembers overall.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA TODAY,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Cases of counterfeits have been rare, but with prices rising into the six- and seven-figure range, obtaining that certified guarantee is important.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Thousands of counterfeit forever stamps were blocked from entering postal circulation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Alabama, officials said.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Color choices include oatmeal, cream, and silver – and the shams are sold separately.—
Terri Williams,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Extended deterrence was a sham, and the people who relied on it were suckers.—
Gideon Rose,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Against an unstable, precarious world, designers forged ahead making clothes for future versions of us—six months into the future, but into the future nonetheless.—
Laia Garcia-Furtado,
Vogue,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Without their go-to scorer and clutch performer, the Knicks are forging a new identity as a stout defensive team.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Bock and Said submitted false documentation to the Minnesota Department of Education, including fraudulent meal counts and fake attendance rosters.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
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The pivotal addition to the the state Civil Code reads: Existing law provides that libel is a false and unprivileged written publication that injures the reputation and that slander is a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered, that injures the reputation, as specified.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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