Standard Lemma guide

phony

adj · noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈfoʊni/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊni
  • CMU ARPABET: F OW1 N IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • He claims to be a doctor, but he's nothing but a fast-talking phony.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • He's such a phony, he doesn't believe half of what he says.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: faker, dissembler, pretender, fake, bamboozler, bouncer, bullshitter, cheat, cheater, cogger, cony-catcher, crammer, deceiver, deceptor, fabricator, fabulist, falser, gabber, grifter, guiler, liar, losenger, mocker, pseudologist, rook, Scandaroon, shammer, Spanish athlete, swindler, swike, treacher, trickster, trucker, wernard

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Anything fraudulent or fake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To fake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

fraudulent; having a misleading appearance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bogus, fake, phoney, bastard

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hypocrite, dissembler, dissimulator, phoney, pretender

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deceiver, cheat, cheater, trickster, beguiler, slicker

Narrower terms: smoothie, smoothy, sweet talker, charmer, Tartuffe, Tartufe, whited sepulcher, whited sepulchre

History

Etymology

Of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of fawny (“gilt brass ring used by swindlers”) (1781), from Irish fáinne (“ring”).

Across languages

Translations

84 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بَهْرَج (bahraj) — fraudulent; fake
  • Arabic: خَرَّاص (ḵarrāṣ) — fraudulent; fake
  • Bulgarian: измамен (izmamen) — fraudulent; fake
  • Bulgarian: мошенически (mošeničeski) — fraudulent; fake
  • Chinese Mandarin: 假 (jiǎ) — fraudulent; fake
  • Czech: falešný — fraudulent; fake
  • Dutch: onecht — fraudulent; fake
  • Dutch: nagemaakt — fraudulent; fake
  • Esperanto: falsa — fraudulent; fake
  • Finnish: väärä — fraudulent; fake
  • Finnish: väärennetty — fraudulent; fake
  • Finnish: epäaito — fraudulent; fake
  • Finnish: vale- — fraudulent; fake
  • French: frauduleux — fraudulent; fake
  • French: contrefait — fraudulent; fake
  • French: falsifié — fraudulent; fake
  • French: faux — fraudulent; fake
  • French: à la noix — fraudulent; fake
  • French: à la gomme — fraudulent; fake
  • Georgian: ცრუ (cru) — fraudulent; fake
  • Georgian: ყალბი (q̇albi) — fraudulent; fake
  • German: falsch — fraudulent; fake
  • German: unecht — fraudulent; fake
  • German: gefälscht — fraudulent; fake
  • German: verlogen — fraudulent; fake
  • Hebrew: מזויף — fraudulent; fake
  • Hungarian: hamis — fraudulent; fake
  • Italian: falso — fraudulent; fake
  • Italian: fasullo — fraudulent; fake
  • Japanese: 偽 (nise) — fraudulent; fake
  • Japanese: 贋 (nise) — fraudulent; fake
  • Japanese: 偽物の (nisemono no) — fraudulent; fake
  • Portuguese: falso — fraudulent; fake
  • Portuguese: de araque — fraudulent; fake
  • Russian: фальши́вый (falʹšívyj) — fraudulent; fake
  • Russian: подде́льный (poddélʹnyj) — fraudulent; fake
  • Russian: ненастоя́щий (nenastojáščij) — fraudulent; fake
  • Spanish: falso — fraudulent; fake
  • Spanish: falaz — fraudulent; fake
  • Spanish: fraudulento — fraudulent; fake
  • Spanish: mendaz — fraudulent; fake
  • Swedish: falsk — fraudulent; fake
  • Swedish: oäkta — fraudulent; fake
  • Swedish: förljugen — fraudulent; fake
  • Swedish: lögnaktig — fraudulent; fake
  • Ottoman Turkish: یالان (yalan) — fraudulent; fake
  • Ottoman Turkish: یالانجی (yalancı) — fraudulent; fake
  • Ottoman Turkish: ساخته (sahte) — fraudulent; fake
  • Arabic: مُتَصَنِّع (mutaṣanniʕ) — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Bulgarian: измамник (izmamnik) — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Bulgarian: мошеник (mošenik) — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Finnish: huijari — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Finnish: teeskentelijä — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • French: usurpateur — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • French: usurpatrice — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • French: faux-nez — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • French: faussaire — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • German: Hochstapler — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • German: Blender — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • German: Scharlatan — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Italian: impostore — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Japanese: 詐欺師 (sagishi) — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Latin: simulātor — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Portuguese: impostor — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Russian: прики́дчик (prikídčik) — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Russian: прики́дчица (prikídčica) — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Spanish: fingidor — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Swedish: bluff — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Swedish: bedragare — a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own
  • Arabic: مُتَصَنِّع (mutaṣanniʕ) — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Arabic: مُنَافِق (munāfiq) — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Bulgarian: лицемер (licemer) — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Chinese Mandarin: 说慌话的人 — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Czech: pokrytec — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Finnish: teeskentelijä — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • French: mystificateur — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • French: guignol — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • French: faux prophète — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • German: Heuchler — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • German: Lügner — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Hindi: कपटी (kapṭī) — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Portuguese: falso — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Spanish: falso — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold
  • Spanish: farsante — a person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold