phony
or pho·ney
[ foh-nee ]
adjective,pho·ni·er, pho·ni·est.
not real or genuine; fake; counterfeit: a phony diamond.
false or deceiving; not truthful; concocted: a phony explanation.
insincere or deceitful; affected or pretentious: a phony sales representative.
noun,plural pho·nies.
something that is phony; a counterfeit or fake.
an insincere, pretentious, or deceitful person: He thought my friends were a bunch of phonies.
verb (used with object),pho·nied, pho·ny·ing.
to falsify; counterfeit; fabricate (often followed by up): to phony up a document.
Origin of phony
11895–1900; perhaps alteration and respelling of fawney (slang) finger ring (<Irish fsptáinne), if taken to mean “false” in the phrase fawney rig a confidence game in which a brass ring is sold as a gold one
Other words for phony
Other words from phony
- pho·ni·ly, adverb
- pho·ni·ness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for phony (1 of 2)
phony
/ (ˈfəʊnɪ) /
Derived forms of phony
- phoniness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for -phony (2 of 2)
-phony
n combining form
indicating a specified type of sound: cacophony; euphony
Origin of -phony
2from Greek -phōnia, from phōnē sound
Derived forms of -phony
- -phonic, adj combining form
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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