World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesPhony
/ˈfoʊ.ni/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
Not genuine or real; fraudulent, counterfeit, or insincere.
"He was arrested for trying to buy luxury goods with phony money."
- 1
A fraudulent, deceitful, or insincere person.
"She realized her new acquaintance was a total phony who only cared about social status."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Originating in the late 19th century American English, 'phony' is likely a phonetic alteration of 'fawney', a term derived from the Irish word 'fáinne', meaning a ring. Historically associated with the 'fawney rig', a common swindle involving a fake gold ring, the word evolved to describe anything fraudulent, counterfeit, or insincere.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Phony"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Phony" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
faux
Transliteration: fo
"Il a essayé de payer avec de l'argent faux."
falsch
Transliteration: falsh
"Er versuchte, mit Falschgeld zu bezahlen."
falso
Transliteration: fal.zo
"Ha cercato di pagare con denaro falso."
falso
Transliteration: fal.so
"Intentó pagar con dinero falso."
falso
Transliteration: faw.su
"Ele tentou pagar com dinheiro falso."
नकली
Transliteration: nakli
"उसने नकली नोटों से भुगतान करने की कोशिश की।"
假的
Transliteration: jiǎ de
"他试图用假钞付款。"
가짜의
Transliteration: gatja-ui
"그는 가짜 돈으로 지불하려고 했다."
偽の
Transliteration: ニセの / nise no
"彼は偽札で支払おうとした。"
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