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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phony
Jodie Cook, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Moana 2 exchanges the documentarian respect of Flaherty for phony respect.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Dec. 2024
Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 July 2024
His character, called The Passenger, is unpredictable, violent and has no patience for phonies, though there is an emotional key to his madness.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 July 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
The key word is genuine, because phony scarcity ruins trust.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Moana 2 exchanges the documentarian respect of Flaherty for phony respect.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
The comment was Vance's response after Beshear had previously called him a phony and not a Kentuckian and implied heavily that nepotism was the only reason Beshear is governor.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 July 2024
His character, called The Passenger, is unpredictable, violent and has no patience for phonies, though there is an emotional key to his madness.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 July 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
-
The Irish also converted a fake field goal against Georgia Tech, covertly swapping holders from Chris Salerno to Tyler Buchner.Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
-
The stock surged earlier this year after regulators lifted a key penalty tied to its 2016 fake accounts scandal.Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Similarly, in 2015, Avon Products saw its stock surge by 20% after scammers filed a bogus SEC document claiming a takeover bid by a nonexistent firm.Yasin Dus, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
-
Results like that -50 could lead computers to churn out bogus data or shut down entirely.Zachary Loeb / Made by History, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Otherwise the right to a clean and healthful environment is meaningless.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
-
But too little would render the action essentially meaningless.Gayoung Lee, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
What happens when people discover they were made to revere counterfeits?Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
-
When scanned, the EON platform uses artificial intelligence alongside this data to evaluate implicit and explicit information in real-time, delivering accurate authentication and detecting counterfeits.Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The accused and accuser, for their part, might have reason to question the partiality of an investigation conducted in house and whether the inquiry is a sham done to protect the employer.Gabriella Levine, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
-
The three-piece set is available in silver or beige and includes two matching standard pillow shams.Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The lines on the pages have blurred, with themes from across literature forging new kinds of fantasies and fiction that attract book lovers and occasional readers alike.Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
-
Ving Rhames plays against type as Holiday Heart, a gay drag queen who forges a bond with a single mother (Alfre Woodard) and her young daughter (Jesika Reynolds).Cydney Lee and Kevin Jacobsen Published, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Nashville) Letter:Trump's false claims on pet-eating scared me into hiding my cat.David Plazas, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
-
That followed a pattern seen in CBS News analysis of his posts during the campaign season, when Musk frequently shared false narratives about the election and amplified extreme voices from the right-wing fringe to his millions of followers.CBS News, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
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
-
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 5 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share