Word
phony
Phoneticspho·ny, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈfoʊni/
UK/fˈəʊni/
UK spelling · phoney
Definitions
01fake or not real
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
adj. not real or honest; intended to trick people into thinking something is better than it is.
adj. fraudulent or deceptive in appearance; lacking authenticity.
日本語:偽の※
“He tried to pay for the coffee with a phony ten-dollar bill.”
“The investigator immediately noticed the phony credentials, noting that the seal on the document didn't match the official government design.”
Pitfall
He gave me a phony money.
He gave me phony money.
When 'phony' describes an uncountable noun like 'money', do not use 'a'.
Synonyms
02an insincere person
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal
n. a person who is not honest or who pretends to be someone they are not.
n. a person who affects a character, set of beliefs, or identity that is not their own; a hypocrite.
“She realized he was a phony who only pretended to be interested in art to impress her.”
“The politician was dismissed as a phony by voters who felt his sudden concern for the working class was merely a tactical move for the election.”
03to fake something
C1 · Advanced Informal · American English
v. to pretend or to make something look real when it is not.
v. to misrepresent or fabricate something; often used with 'up' as in 'phony up'.
“They tried to phony up the lab results to make the product look safe.”
“The accountant was caught attempting to phony up the expense reports to cover the missing funds from the previous quarter.”
Usage
Often appears as the phrasal verb 'phony up'.
Real-World Examples
“He eventually apologised, but in 2017 gave an interview where he called some of his detractors “phonies”.” “It was the working man’s ‘therefore.’ Now it’s gone phony, insincere, so-so.” Etymology
Of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of fawny (“gilt brass ring used by swindlers”) (1781), from Irish fáinne (“ring”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/phony
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0