Phony definition
A phony expert in investing.
Someone who is poor but who pretends to be rich to impress others is an example of a phony.
A knock-off Gucci purse is an example of a purse that would be described as phony.
Polyphony.
A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phony one.
He claims to be a doctor, but he's nothing but a fast-talking phony.
He's such a phony, he doesn't believe half of what he says.
Telephony.
A phony credit card; a phony beard.
A phony excuse.
Other Word Forms
Noun
Adjective
Origin of phony
- < Gr phōnē, a sound: see phono-
From Webster's New World College Dictionary, 5th Edition
- Alteration of fawney gilt brass ring used by swindlers from Irish Gaelic fáinne ring from Old Irish
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Greek -phōniā from phōnē sound, voice bhā-2 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Perhaps an alteration of fawney “gilt brass ring used by swindlers" (1781), from Irish fáinne (“ring").
From Wiktionary