phony

1 of 4

adjective

pho·​ny ˈfō-nē How to pronounce phony (audio)
variants or less commonly phoney
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)
(2)
: specious
has a phony poetic eleganceNew Republic
phonily adverb
phoniness noun

phony

2 of 4

noun

variants or less commonly phoney
plural phonies also phoneys
: one that is phony

phony

3 of 4

verb

phonied; phonying

transitive verb

: counterfeit, fake
often used with up
a paper phonied up on the spur of the momentWilliam Faulkner

-phony

4 of 4

noun combining form

variants or less commonly -phonia
1
: sound
telephony
2
usually -phonia : speech disorder of a (specified) type
dysphonia

Examples of phony in a Sentence

Adjective a phony watch with a designer logo she always has this phony smile just before she betrays you Noun According to him, politics is full of phonies. I don't think she ever meant to help us. What a phony! Verb the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Field Marshall Grigory Potemkin was said to have built facades of phony, idyllic-looking villages along the route that Empress Catherine II took to Crimea in 1787, to improve her view. Scott Simon, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024 Here’s a partial list of how House Republicans depicted the phony allegation. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 These phony clips — which can appear uncannily real and convincing — could pose a major problem for voters in this election cycle, according to AI experts. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024 Kimmel submitted at least 14 Cameo requests for Santos using phony names and narratives, according to the complaint. Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024 Santos had been granting requests from people and businesses seeking personal video messages through Cameo, unknowingly answering 14 requests done by Kimmel with phony names and narratives. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 19 Feb. 2024 Locke plays Tobias Ragg, the young apprentice to a phony barber, who is eventually taken in by the owner of a local pie shop, Mrs. Lovett, and involved in a grisly plot. Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024 There was never a circus of fake, phony, lame, press conferences. Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 10 Jan. 2024 Without that deleterious influence, phony bipartisanship would seem inconceivable. Armond White, National Review, 7 Feb. 2024
Noun
Elite conservatives tell rural Americans that liberals are condescending, coastal, out-of-touch, preening Hollywood phonies unworthy of their trust or political support. Paul Waldman, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024 The reality is that Chip Kelly was a complete phony. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024 Other members of Congress, from both parties, have also experienced some form of disruption by such phony and harassing swatting calls over the past several weeks. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2024 On the other side of the precipice, presumably, is the adult world of phonies, who all seem to know everything and have a commonsense answer for all your existential questions. Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 His character, called The Passenger, is unpredictable, violent and has no patience for phonies, though there is an emotional key to his madness. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 28 July 2023 Phony delivery scam Fraudsters use that same principle in phony delivery scam, the FTC said. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 8 June 2023 New York seems to attract a disproportionate share of the prevaricators, scammers, fraudsters, cheats, and fabulists who have garnered headlines (which is ironic considering how much New Yorkers enjoy deriding California as full of phonies). Paul Tullis, Town & Country, 30 Apr. 2023 In a world of phonies, Kim Mulkey is anything but fake. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
Verb
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, 29 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

Noun

derivative of phony entry 1

Verb

derivative of phony entry 1 or phony entry 2

Noun combining form

borrowed from Greek -phōnia, from -phōnos "having a sound (of the kind or number specified)" (derivative of phōnḗ "sound made by something living, voice, speech, utterance") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at phono-

First Known Use

Adjective

1889, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1902, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phony was in 1889

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near phony

Cite this Entry

“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phony. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phony

1 of 2 adjective
pho·​ny
variants also phoney
phonier; phoniest
: not genuine or real: as
a(1)
: intended to deceive or mislead
(2)
: counterfeit entry 2 sense 1
a phony $10 bill
b
: causing suspicion : probably dishonest
sounds like a phony excuse to me
c
: fictitious, false
gave a phony name to the police
phoniness noun

phony

2 of 2 noun
variants also phoney
plural phonies also phoneys
: a phony person or thing

More from Merriam-Webster on phony

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