Link Centre Dictionary

phony

US/ˈfoʊni/ fairly common informal
adjective (1) noun (1)

adjective

1.

noun

1.

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

Synonyms

Origin

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

Phrases

  • phoney up
  • Phoney War
  • phony up
  • Phony War

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.