phony
/ˈfəʊni/ (bre, ipa) · [fˈoni] /ˈfəʊni/ (ame, ipa) · [fˈoni] /ˈfō-nē/ (ame, mw)
phony — adjective
- phonypositive
- phoniercomparative
- phoniestsuperlative
1. showing feelings, praise, or friendliness that the person does not truly have
showing feelings, praise, or friendliness that the person does not truly have
Lena gave the coach a phony smile after losing her spot.
phony smile
At dinner, Uncle Ray sounded phony when he praised everyone's cooking.
sound phony
The clerk's warm voice felt phony once the extra fees appeared.
Even Marco's late apology seemed phony to Julia after the lie.
文法句型
phony smile
sound phony
seem phony
用法筆記
Often used after linking verbs like seem, sound, and feel, or before nouns such as smile, apology, and friendliness. Distinguish from adjective sense 2: here the focus is on a person's feelings or behavior, not on whether an object or claim is fake.
常見錯誤
2. made or shown as if it were real, true, or official although it is not
made or shown as if it were real, true, or official although it is not
The police found phony passports inside a blue suitcase.
phony + document noun
That website used a phony address and a stolen company logo.
phony address
On the train, Mia showed a phony student card to save money.
The email looked phony because the bank name was spelled wrong.
- fake
the broad everyday word for something not real
- bogus
informal and often suggests something dishonest or worthless
- counterfeit
used especially for copied money, goods, or documents
- false
more neutral and common for facts, claims, or reports
- genuine
really what it appears or claims to be
- authentic
often used for real documents, goods, or works
- legitimate
stresses legal or official truth
文法句型
phony ID
phony website
look phony
用法筆記
Common before nouns like ID, address, website, email, or passport, and after linking verbs when judging something suspicious. Distinguish from adjective sense 1: this sense is about whether something is false or counterfeit, not whether a person's feelings are sincere.
常見錯誤
phony — noun
1. someone who gives other people a false picture of who they are or what they beli
someone who gives other people a false picture of who they are or what they believe
After two interviews, the voters decided the candidate was a phony.
be a phony
Everyone laughed at first, but the doctor on TV was a phony.
By spring, Carla knew the friendly investor was just a phony.
The magazine exposed three phonies who sold fake health advice online.
文法句型
be a phony
call someone a phony
用法筆記
Usually follows be or call someone, and often judges a person's whole public image rather than one single lie. It can overlap with hypocrite, but phony is broader and also covers people pretending to have skill, success, or kindness.
常見錯誤
phony — verb
- phonypresent simple I / you / we / they
- phonies3rd person singular
- phonying-ing form
- phoniedpast simple
1. to make papers, numbers, or other records look real by changing them dishonestly
to make papers, numbers, or other records look real by changing them dishonestly
The bookkeeper phonied the sales records before the tax visit.
phony + records
Someone had phonied the team list with three made-up names.
phony + list
To hide the loss, the manager phonied last month's numbers.
During the audit, inspectors found that staff had phonied several receipts.
- verify
to check that records or facts are true
- authenticate
to prove that a document or object is real
文法句型
phony the records
phony the numbers
用法筆記
Rare and informal. The object is usually numbers, papers, lists, or records, and many speakers would choose fake, forge, or falsify instead in ordinary writing.