phony

Meaning

Adj

Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.

Noun

1. (informal) A person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own.
2. (informal) A person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold.
3. (informal) Anything fraudulent or fake.

Verb

To fake.

Synonyms

fake

phoney

bogus

fraud

counterfeit

artificial

false

pretender

hypocrite

charlatan

dissembler

dissimulator

impostor

cheater

spurious

mountebank

bastard

pretense

quack

ringer

scammer

self-styled

sham

shark

🦈

soi-disant

spiv

swindler

trumped-up

two-faced

two-timer

unreal

utterer

weasel

welcher

welsher

shammer

ganef

sandbagger

clip artist

ganof

gonif

goniff

sharpy

hucksterish

cheat

con man

copy

deceiving

deception

fabricated

finagler

fraudulent

goldbrick

imitation

impersonator

imposter

make-believe

mock

pinchbeck

plastic

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfoʊni/

Etymology

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