phony

adjective pho·ny \ ˈfō-nē \

variants: or less commonly phoney

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Examples: phony in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of phony

phonier; phoniest

: not genuine or real: such as

a (1) : intended to deceive or mislead

(2) : intended to defraud : counterfeit

b : arousing suspicion : probably dishonest

something phony about the story

c : having no basis in fact : fictitious

phony publicity stories

d : false, sham

a phony name

e : making a false show: such as

(1) : hypocritical

(2) : specious

has a phony poetic elegance
—New Republic

—

phonily

play \ˈfō-ni-lē\ adverb

—

phoniness

play \ˈfō-nē-nəs\ noun

See phony defined for English-language learners

See phony defined for kids

phony was our Word of the Day on 02/12/2010. Hear the podcast!

Examples of phony in a Sentence

a phony watch with a designer logo
she always has this phony smile just before she betrays you

Recent Examples of phony from the Web

If customers called the phony number, they were asked to give personal information, including bank account and credit card information.

— susan tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Amazon Prime Day: Gift cards, coupons and other scams to watch for," 14 July 2018
Last year, the government began requiring the small miners to register in person with the tax department, in hopes of making it harder for criminal networks to use them as phony sources of gold.

— jim wyss and kyra gurney, miamiherald, "Dirty gold is the new cocaine in Colombia — and it’s just as bloody," 16 Jan. 2018
There’s nothing phony about Cassius, and that’s true of his look, too.

— samantha powell, The Cut, "Sorry to Bother You’s Costume Designer on Dressing Tessa Thompson," 10 July 2018
Investigators also discovered fraudulent diplomatic license plates, a phony diplomatic security badge, unauthorized credit cards, thousands of dollars in cash, and financial documents in the name of a member of the Saudi Royal family.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "Fake sultan's scam of a Miami billionaire fizzled after reckless Ferrari drive, pork meals," 6 July 2018
This isn't some phony round-the-flagpole ride, either.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "B-52 Bombers Could Quadruple Their Wing Bomb Loads," 25 June 2018
Syms is an independent running for state Senate in Legislative District 28, but he could be removed from the ballot over allegations that many of his qualifying petitions are phony.

— dustin gardiner, azcentral, "Attorney General says his mother's name was forged on Arizona Senate candidate's petition," 18 June 2018
Investigators also discovered fraudulent diplomatic license plates, a phony diplomatic security badge, unauthorized credit cards, thousands of dollars in cash, and financial documents in the name of a member of the Saudi Royal family.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "Miami con man posing as Saudi sultan pleads guilty to swindling millions worldwide," 29 May 2018
Rachel Williams, City National, and others also received phony wire-transfer receipts, which a representative of the bank identified as forged.

— jessica pressler, The Cut, "Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It," 28 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

It's the backstory of phony that deserves our attention. Phony (which dates from the early 1900s) is believed to be an alteration of the British fawney, the word for a gilded brass ring used in a confidence game called the "fawney rig." In this game, the trickster drops a ring (or a purse with some valuables in it) and runs to pick the item up at the same time as the poor sap who notices it on the ground. The trickster asserts that the found treasure should be split between them. The one who's "found" the item, convinced now of its value, chooses instead to give the con artist some money in order to keep the item, which is, of course, phony.

Origin and Etymology of phony

perhaps alteration of fawney gilded brass ring used in the fawney rig, a confidence game, from Irish fáinne ring, from Old Irish ánne — more at anus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1893

in the meaning defined at sense a(1)

See Words from the same year

phony Synonyms

phony

noun

variants: or less commonly phoney

Definition of phony

plural phonies also phoneys

: one that is phony

See phony defined for English-language learners

Examples of phony in a Sentence

According to him, politics is full of phonies.
I don't think she ever meant to help us. What a phony!

Recent Examples of phony from the Web

Movie-wise, the structure is an obvious digital phony, although the effects artists do a much better job on Sawyer’s amputated leg, which looks convincingly real, and adds a touch of vulnerability to the famously able-bodied Johnson.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "The Rock's towering presence fails to elevate 'Skyscraper'," 11 July 2018
Those traits manifested themselves once more in his searing denunciations of Donald Trump as a phony.

— adam bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer-winning columnist and intellectual provocateur, dies at 68," 21 June 2018
Those traits manifested themselves once more in his searing denunciations of Donald Trump as a phony.

— adam bernstein, Washington Post, "Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and intellectual provocateur, dies at 68," 21 June 2018
The phony-baloney nature of the rescissions, mostly aimed at on-paper authority to spend money that was not going to be spent, has created a political quandary for people in both parties.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "After Blowing Up the Deficit, House Passes Mostly Phony Spending Cuts," 8 June 2018
Facebook in December offered a bold solution for its worsening scourge of fake accounts: New facial-recognition technology to spot when a phony profile tries to use someone else's photos.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Facebook's crackdown on fake accounts isn't working for everyone," 5 May 2018
Facebook in December offered a bold solution for its worsening scourge of fake accounts: New facial-recognition technology to spot when a phony profile tries to use someone else's photos.

— drew harwell, chicagotribune.com, "Facebook crackdown on fake accounts isn't solving the problem for everyone," 4 May 2018
Trump regularly pushes back against the Russia investigation, calling it a witch hunt, a scam, and phony.

— eileen sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump repeats unconfirmed claims of a spy inside his campaign," 23 May 2018
Annoyed by phonies and undeserving hipsters, Mike meanders through a Pacific Northwest inhabited by hardworking homesick immigrants, waitresses doing double shifts and Native American blackjack dealers with scars and rumpled uniforms.

— helene stapinski, New York Times, "Jungle Mold, Ornithology and Lawn Care: 3 New Novels Find Hilarity in Unexpected Places," 1 June 2018

First Known Use of phony

1902

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

phony Synonyms

Synonyms

charlatan, fake, faker, fraud, hoaxer, humbug, impostor (or imposter), mountebank, pretender, quack, ringer, sham;

Near Antonyms

ace, adept, authority, crackerjack (also crackajack), expert, maestro, master, past master, professional, virtuoso, whiz, wizard;

Related Words

copycat, imitator, impersonator, mimic;

actor, bluffer, counterfeiter, deceiver, dissembler, duper, feigner, misleader, operator, trickster;

poseur;

cozener, defrauder, dodger, scammer, sharper, sharpie (or sharpy), skinner, swindler;

phony

verb

Definition of phony

phonied; phonying

transitive verb

: counterfeit, fake —often used with up

a paper phonied up on the spur of the moment
—William Faulkner

Examples of phony in a Sentence

the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses

Recent Examples of phony from the Web

In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "'China Hustle': Skippack businessman exposes stock fraud in new documentary," 29 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of phony

1940

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

phony Synonyms

Synonyms

counterfeit, fake, forge;

Related Words

simulate;

duplicate, reduplicate, replicate, reproduce;

crib, plagiarize;

adulterate, doctor, fudge, juggle, manipulate, tamper (with);

concoct, cook (up), fabricate, invent;

-phony

noun combining form

variants: or less commonly -phonia

Definition of -phony

1 : sound

telephony

2 usually -phonia : speech disorder of a (specified) type

dysphonia

Origin and Etymology of -phony

Latin -phonia, from Greek -phōnia, from -phōnos sounding — more at -phone

PHONY Defined for English Language Learners

phony

adjective

Definition of phony for English Language Learners

: not true, real, or genuine : intended to make someone think something that is not true
of a person : not honest or sincere : saying things that are meant to deceive people

phony

noun

Definition of phony for English Language Learners

: a person who pretends to be someone else or to have feelings or abilities that he or she does not really have : a person who is not sincere
: something that is not real or genuine