phony
adj.adj. not real or honest. You use this to describe someone who is pretending to be something they are not, or something that is a fake.
adj. not genuine or authentic; fraudulent. Often describes individuals who affect a personality or status that is not their own.
I can tell his smile is phony.
She realized the salesperson was being phony when he started giving her too many fake compliments.
The politician's attempt at a populist persona was widely criticized as phony by voters who remembered his previous career in corporate finance.
Of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of fawny (“gilt brass ring used by swindlers”) (1781), from Irish fáinne (“ring”).
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'seem', 'sound', or 'look'.
He is a phoney personHe is a phony personWhile 'phoney' is a common British spelling, 'phony' is the standard American form; learners should stick to one convention.