phoney

[foh-nee]

adjective

phonier, phoniest ,

plural

phoneys , phoneyed, phoneying .

1. phony.

phoney

/ ˈfəʊnɪ /

adjective

1. not genuine; fake

2. (of a person) insincere or pretentious

noun

1. an insincere or pretentious person

2. something that is not genuine; a fake

Other Word Forms

• phoneyness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of phoney¹

C20: origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Now, though, we enter the phoney war; four long weeks of build-up that will see both teams gain competitive reps on either side of the Atlantic.

From BBC

Antoni, who has a PhD in economics, has previously criticised the BLS, questioning its methodology and calling its statistics "phoney baloney".

From BBC

For crofters, the war led to a public inquiry and eventually legislation that protected their land rights - and hopefully any chance of ever being scammed by phoney lady novelists again.

From BBC

But Labour branded the levelling-up pledge a "phoney gimmick" that had failed to deliver economic growth.

From BBC

Buying London "consists of phoney conversations, confected drama and lip filler", she said, describing the series as "superficially fun, but ultimately soulless and artificial".

From BBC