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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of phony
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2025
Listen to this article A pair of phony cops pulled off a hot dog heist from a Times Square food vendor while wielding a knife early Wednesday — the latest in a string of attacks on vendors, authorities said.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
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
Authorities said the fraud involved overstating employee numbers and average monthly payroll, and making other phony representations.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2025
Listen to this article A pair of phony cops pulled off a hot dog heist from a Times Square food vendor while wielding a knife early Wednesday — the latest in a string of attacks on vendors, authorities said.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
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
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Later, it's revealed that Phelps didn't die at all, and his fake death was a setup to frame Ethan.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
-
Bad actors had cloned his voice to make fake 911 calls about emergencies at rival locations.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
It was produced by Google’s Veo 3, similar to extant bogus news anchor content already proliferating the Internet.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
-
Marcia and Carlton Lee said they were locked out of their home for weeks by a squatter who changed the locks and refused to leave, using bogus mortgage documents to falsify ownership.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The trouble is that in and of themselves, trade deficits (or surpluses) are meaningless measures of a nation’s economic health.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
Ever since Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise’s films have imposed a sense of duty on audiences — a different purpose than other meaningless, direct-to-streaming content with zero purpose.—
Armond White,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
The ever-improving quality of counterfeits further threatens retail integrity and industry accountability.—
Cassell Ferere,
Forbes,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Heidt noted that the logo placement on a counterfeit may look off or that the logo may have a bleed.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
28 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has been exposed as nothing more than a sham.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
-
Despite a unilateral three-day ceasefire declared by Russia beginning May 8, Ukraine has rejected it as a sham.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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In that role, Pullin forged new corporate partnerships.—
Kate Marijolovic,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2025
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In the past 45 years, many law enforcement professionals in urban areas have highlighted the importance of forging relationships and building trust with immigrant communities.—
W. Carsten Andresen,
The Conversation,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
The decision to deploy Dembele as a false nine for a 3-1 home win over Lyon in mid-December proved the spark for a stupendous run of goal-scoring form in which the France international racked up 27 goals in only 22 appearances.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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The couple was convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.—
Eric Tucker,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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