phony
phony Lexical Profile
phony Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Not genuine, real, or authentic; counterfeit or fraudulent.
"The investigator quickly realized that the suspect was carrying a phony passport."
Insincere, pretentious, or deceitful in manner or character.
"She offered a phony smile before excusing herself from the awkward conversation."
• noun
An insincere, pretentious, or deceitful person; an impostor or fraud.
"The protagonist in the novel constantly criticizes the socialites around him as hypocrites and phonies."
Something that is counterfeit, forged, or not genuine.
"The art appraiser examined the painting under ultraviolet light and declared it a clever phony."
• verb
North American To falsify, fabricate, or manipulate so as to make appear genuine (often used with "up").
"The disgraced accountant tried to phony the financial records before the external audit began."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled "phony" in American English and typically "phoney" in British English.
• Rhymes for phony
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in late 19th-century American slang, the word is widely believed to derive from "fawney," an earlier British criminal cant term for a gilt brass ring used in confidence tricks, which itself came from the Irish word "fáinne" meaning "ring."