phony C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈfoʊni/ UK /ˈfəʊni/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj not genuine; fraudulent or fake He paid with a phony hundred-dollar bill. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not genuine; fraudulent or... fakefraudulentboguscounterfeitshamspuriousfalsefictitious ↔ Opposites genuineauthenticreallegitimate Word family Derived forms phoninessphonily Related forms phoney Etymology AI details Of uncertain origin; first attested in American English around 1900, perhaps from British slang fawney ('a gilt brass ring used in a confidence trick'), from Irish fainne ('ring'). Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # phony **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈfoʊni/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈfəʊni/ ## Meanings 1. not genuine; fraudulent or fake ## Examples - He paid with a phony hundred-dollar bill. ## Synonyms - fake - fraudulent - bogus - counterfeit - sham - spurious - false - fictitious ## Antonyms - genuine - authentic - real - legitimate ## Derived Forms - phoniness - phonily ## Related Forms - phoney ## Etymology Of uncertain origin; first attested in American English around 1900, perhaps from British slang fawney ('a gilt brass ring used in a confidence trick'), from Irish fainne ('ring'). ## AI Etymology Phony is of uncertain origin; first attested in American English around 1900, perhaps from British slang fawney ('a gilt brass ring used in a confidence trick'), from Irish fainne ('ring'). Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers not genuine; fraudulent or fake. The wider family includes derived forms such as phoniness and phonily and related words such as phoney. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown