What does phony mean?
Definitions for phony
ˈfoʊ nipho·ny
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word phony.
Princeton's WordNet
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
bogus, fake, phony, phoney, bastardadjective
fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
GCIDE
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.
phonyadjective
Pretending to be other than one is; putting on false appearances; insincere; hypocritical; -- of people.
Wiktionary
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.
phonyadjective
Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.
A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phony one.
Etymology: Perhaps an alteration of fawney “gilt brass ring used by swindlers” (1781), from Ir. fáinne “ring.”
Wikipedia
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.
ChatGPT
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 Resources
Phony
Phoney vs. Phony -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Phoney and Phony.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of phony in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of phony in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of phony in a Sentence
Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child.
Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel.
Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you will find the real tinsel underneath.
At some point people do question the kind of life they are leading and wonder whether it is actually the life they want to live. Do they merely experience a series of ‘phony’ moments and a succession of fake sequences, or are they actually building up a authentic life story that gives them the enrichment they have been looking forward to. ( "Quest for the real moment" )
There are 10 ways to demonstrate that this election was stolen, that the votes were phony, that there were a lot of them, dead people, felons, phony ballots, it's very surreal to go back and put together all these moving pieces that led up to Fulton County to overturn the results of the election and led up to the aftermath of January 6.
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Translations for phony
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- خَرّاص, بَهْرَج, متصنعArabic
- Schwindler, gefälscht, Hochstapler, Schwindlerin, QuacksalberGerman
- falso, farsanteSpanish
- huijari, väärä, väärennettyFinnish
- faux-nez, à la gomme, guignol, mystificateur, prophète, usurpatrice, frauduleux, escroc, contrefait, falsifié, à la noix, usurpateur, charlatan, faux, faussaireFrench
- מזויףHebrew
- hamisHungarian
- fasullo, falso, ciarlatanoItalian
- 偽, 偽物, 詐欺師, 贋Japanese
- onecht, nagemaaktDutch
- фальшивый, мошенница, мошенник, поддельный, жуликRussian
- oäkta, falskSwedish
- 假Chinese
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"phony." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 10 Dec. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/phony>.
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