Modern English usage. 2014.
phoney — pho ney (f[=o] n[=e]), a. [Also spelled {phony}.] [Compar. {phonier}; superl. {phoniest}.] 1. imitating something superior; intended to deceive; fraudulent; having a misleading appearance; not genuine; counterfeit; fake; as, a phoney diamond; a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
phoney — pho ney (f[=o] n[=e]), n. something or someone that is phony. [Also spelled {phony}.] [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
phoney — (also phony) informal ► ADJECTIVE (phonier, phoniest) ▪ not genuine. ► NOUN (pl. phoneys or phonies) ▪ a fraudulent person or thing. DERIVATIVES phonily adverb … English terms dictionary
phoney — ☆ phoney [fō′nē ] adj., n. alt. sp. of PHONY: the preferred Brit. sp … English World dictionary
phoney — [[t]fo͟ʊni[/t]] phoneys also phony 1) ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe something as phoney, you disapprove of it because it is false rather than genuine. [INFORMAL] He d telephoned with some phoney excuse she didn t believe for a minute … English dictionary
phoney — UK [ˈfəʊnɪ] / US [ˈfoʊnɪ] adjective Word forms phoney : adjective phoney comparative phonier superlative phoniest informal 1) not real and intended to trick people a phoney ID card 2) someone who is phoney pretends to be friendly, clever, kind… … English dictionary
phoney — also phony AmE adjective informal 1 false or not real, and intended to deceive someone; fake: a phoney British accent | I gave the police a phoney address. 2 someone who is phoney pretends to be good, clever, kind etc when they are not phoney… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
phoney — pho|ney also phony AmE [ˈfəuni US ˈfou ] adj informal 1.) false or not real, and intended to deceive someone = ↑fake ▪ a phoney American accent 2.) someone who is phoney is insincere and pretends to be something they are not >phoney n … Dictionary of contemporary English
phoney — 1. informal; adjective a phoney address Syn: bogus, false, fake, fraudulent, counterfeit, forged, imitation, affected, insincere; informal pretend; Brit.; informal cod Ant: authentic 2 … Synonyms and antonyms dictionary
phoney — 1. adjective 1900 Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance. A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phoney one. Syn: bogus, counterfeit, fake 2. noun … Wiktionary
