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🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

faux

Pronunciation / Transliteration: fo

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Phony/ˈfoʊ.ni/
adjectivenounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #8500 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Il a essayé de payer avec de l'argent faux."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As adjective
  1. 1

    Not genuine or real; fraudulent, counterfeit, or insincere.

    "He was arrested for trying to buy luxury goods with phony money."
As noun
  1. 1

    A fraudulent, deceitful, or insincere person.

    "She realized her new acquaintance was a total phony who only cared about social status."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

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.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

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Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Phony"

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