Definitions for phony
ˈfoʊ nipho·ny

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. hypocrite, dissembler, dissimulator, phony, phoney, pretenderadjective

   a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives

2. bogus, fake, phony, phoney, bastardadjective

   fraudulent; having a misleading appearance

GCIDERate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. phonyadjective

   imitating something superior; intended to deceive; fraudulent; having a misleading appearance; not genuine; counterfeit; fake; as, a phony diamond; a phony hundred-dollar bill.

2. phonyadjective

   Pretending to be other than one is; putting on false appearances; insincere; hypocritical; -- of people.

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. phonynoun

   A faker, a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold or assumes an identity other than their own.

   He's as phony as a three-dollar bill.

2. phonyadjective

   Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.

   A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phony one.

3. Etymology: Perhaps an alteration of fawney “gilt brass ring used by swindlers” (1781), from Ir. fáinne “ring.”

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. phony

   In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements.Internal fraud, also known as "insider fraud", is fraud committed or attempted by someone within an organisation such as an employee.A hoax is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. phony

   Phony is an adjective referring to something or someone that is not genuine, fraudulent, fake, deceitful, deceptive or pretending to be something or someone that they are not. It can also be used as a noun to describe a person who presents a false image or behaves hypocritically.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Phony

   Phoney vs. Phony -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Phoney and Phony.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce phony?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say phony in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of phony in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of phony in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of phony in a Sentence

1. Donald Trump:

   When the people who control the political power in our society can rig investigations like [Clinton’s] investigation was rigged, can rig polls -- you see these phony polls -- and rig the media, they can wield absolute power over your life, your economy and your country and benefit big time by it.

2. Richard Whitmer:

   First of all, it's a phony attack, and secondly, it's extremely sexist to say that a woman is beholden to her father's former employer ... 84% of the record-breaking money that we raised in this campaign is from Michigan. Eighty-two percent of it is $100 or less.

3. Former President Trump:

   On a phony pretext from a highly political magistrate who they hand-picked late in the evening just days before the break-in and trampled upon my rights and civil liberties as if our country that we love so much were a third world nation, we’re like a third world nation.

4. Mary MacCracken:

   Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child.

5. Eric Schneiderman:

   In 2013, my office sued Donald Trump for swindling thousands of innocent Americans out of millions of dollars through a scheme known at Trump University, donald Trump fought us every step of the way, filing baseless charges and fruitless appeals and refusing to settle for even modest amounts of compensation for the victims of his phony university. Today, that all changes.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=phony
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=phony
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Phony
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phony
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=phony