phony

-phony

Use phony in a sentence

adjective

The definition of phony is someone or something that is not genuine, or not honest or insincere.
A knock-off Gucci purse is an example of a purse that would be described as phony.

noun

Phony is something or someone that is not as it seems, or a person who pretends to be something he is not.
Someone who is poor but who pretends to be rich to impress others is an example of a phony.

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"phony." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony>.

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phony. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony

phony

adjective

-·nier, -·ni·est

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

Origin of phony

altered from British thieves' argot fawney, gilt ring (passed off as gold by swindlers) from Irish fáinne

noun

pl. -·nies

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

-phony

a (specified kind of) sound: polyphony

Origin of -phony

from Classical Greek ph?n?, a sound: see phono-

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"phony." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony>.

APA Style

phony. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony

phony

also pho·ney

adjective

pho·ni·er, pho·ni·est

Not genuine or real; sham or counterfeit: a phony credit card; a phony beard.
Spurious, deceptive, or false: a phony excuse.
Fraudulent, deceitful, or dishonest: a phony expert in investing.

noun

pl. pho·nies, also pho·neys

A fraudulent or dishonest person.
Something that is not genuine; a fake.

Origin of phony

Alteration of fawney gilt brass ring used by swindlers from Irish Gaelic fáinne ring from Old Irish

Related Forms:

pho′ni·ly
adverb

pho′ni·ness
noun

-phony

suffix

Sound: telephony.

Origin of -phony

Greek -phōniā from phōnē sound, voice ; see bhā-² in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"phony." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony>.

APA Style

phony. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony

Adjective

(comparative phonier, superlative phoniest)

Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.
A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phony one.

Noun

(plural phonies)

A person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own.
He claims to be a doctor, but he's nothing but a fast-talking phony.
A person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold.
He's such a phony, he doesn't believe half of what he says.

Origin

Perhaps an alteration of fawney “gilt brass ring used by swindlers" (1781), from Irish fÃ¡inne (“ring").

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"phony." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 09 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony>.

APA Style

phony. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Phony

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