phony Hear it!

phony definition

☆ phony (fō′nē)

adjective phonier -·nier, phoniest -·ni·est

Informal not genuine; false, counterfeit, spurious, pretentious, etc.

Etymology: altered < Brit thieves' argot fawney, gilt ring (passed off as gold by swindlers) < Ir fáinne

noun pl. phonies -·nies

  1. something not genuine; sham; fake
  2. a person who is not what he or she pretends to be; one who deceives, dissembles, is insincere, etc.; fraud

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.
Related Discussions (1)
TopicRepliesLatest Post
Phony139 years ago

Browse Forums