variants
also phoney
1
as in fake
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
a phony watch with a designer logo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bogus
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
she always has this phony smile just before she betrays you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in meaningless
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
her concern for our welfare is as phony as all get-out—she just wants to know our business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also phoney
1
as in counterfeit
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the fancy "emerald" ring turned out to be a phony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sham
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the person who performed the liposuction operation was later discovered to be a phony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to fake
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of phony
David Gilbert, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
But at the same time, Gloucester’s decision to throw away his decades-long relationship with his son over a letter – phony or not – seems rash.
—Jeanette Tran, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024
Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024
Heather mocks Eric as a phony who is fascinated by his own image; Andre speaks earnestly about wanting his band to be authentic.
—Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, 15 June 2024
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018
See all Example Sentences for phony 
Adjective
Engelbrecht and True the Vote have effectively tried to disenfranchise voters by claiming that voter rolls are filled with phony voter registrations.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
But at the same time, Gloucester’s decision to throw away his decades-long relationship with his son over a letter – phony or not – seems rash.
—Jeanette Tran, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
The Greek absurdist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is a phony.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024
Heather mocks Eric as a phony who is fascinated by his own image; Andre speaks earnestly about wanting his band to be authentic.
—Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, 15 June 2024
Verb
What constitutes the crime is to phony up business accounting records to disguise the payments.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018
See all Example Sentences for phony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phony
Adjective
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The source of those flames: a Christmas celebration that climaxes with ten helicopters dropping fake snow on the partygoers, a stunt that turns out to be a bad idea because of strong winds and some not-up-to-code fire extinguishers.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 17 Nov. 2024
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After 1935, duck and goose hunters were limited to fake decoys.Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Khaleel Sayyed and Walter Bowe, X’s chief guards at the time, would corroborate that statement, as they were both arrested and detained on bogus charges in the days leading up to X’s murder.Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 20 Nov. 2024
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The rather over it Patrick Steptoe (Nighy on auto-pilot, not that anyone would complain), who’s been laughed into the margins of the medical community for bogus reasons, and therefore in reluctant need of a new project.David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The in-season tourney is, objectively, a meaningless competition.Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 22 Nov. 2024
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In truth, base clocks are nearly meaningless today and have been for more than a decade now, as the boost or turbo clock typically determines a CPU’s max operating frequency.PCMAG, PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Project Zero, on the other hand, allows brands to directly remove counterfeits of their product from Amazon stores.Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
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The potential for counterfeits on Amazon has created friction with some brands.Annie Palmer,Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Vought said that independent agencies and unelected bureaucrats and experts wield far too much power while the traditional legislative process is a sham.Molly Redden, ProPublica, 28 Oct. 2024
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The set also comes in a matching duvet cover and shams.Terri Williams, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
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But the documentary makes the case that Billy Preston forged a heady chunk of the funk DNA.Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
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The election adds a relative newcomer to Arizona's water world as the state forges through interstate negotiations over strained supplies in the Colorado River.Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Pam Bondi, Florida's attorney general for eight years, was part of Trump's defense team during his first impeachment trial and supported his false claims of fraud following the 2020 election.Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2024
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In both 2022 and 2024, Dolan ran in Republicans' moderate lane, declining to align with Trump and disavowing his false claims that voter fraud lost him the 2020 election.CBS News, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This could certainly change if the Rockets land a certain French teenager in this year's draft lottery, but the first half of 2022-23 has assuaged some concerns about the long-term viability of a pseudo-twin-towers in the starting lineup with Jabari Smith flanked by Alperen Şengün.Michael Shapiro, Chron, 15 Jan. 2023
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In a code division scheme, each call is encoded in a random or pseudo-random sequencing, and receivers at the other end are equipped to decode their own calls.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2021
Thesaurus Entries Near phony
Cite this Entry
“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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