phony meaning and examples

2025-09-04

Meaning

  • Phony means something or someone that is fake, not genuine, or pretending to be something real.
  • It can also describe a person who is insincere or deceitful.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech:

    • Adjective → describing something fake or insincere.
    • Noun → a person who is not genuine.

  • Sentence patterns:

    • Adjective: "a phony smile," "a phony accent"
    • Noun: "He is a phony."

Common Phrases

  • Phony excuse – a false reason given to avoid something.
  • Phony smile – an insincere smile.
  • Phony identity – a fake name or background.
  • Act phony – to behave insincerely.

Collocations

  • phony smile
  • phony excuse
  • phony documents
  • act phony
  • complete phony

Examples

  1. She gave me a phony smile, but I could tell she was upset.
  2. The company was shut down for selling phony products.
  3. He is such a phony—pretending to be rich while living on credit.
  4. Don’t give me a phony excuse; just tell me the truth.
  5. The detective discovered the suspect was using a phony identity.
  6. His friendliness seemed phony, like he only wanted something from me.
  7. Tourists are often tricked into buying phony jewelry at high prices.
  8. That politician is a total phony; he never keeps his promises.
  • Fake
  • False
  • Fraudulent
  • Bogus
  • Counterfeit
  • Insincere
  • Sham
  • Impostor (as a noun)