a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
adjective
fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
Word Forms
dissemble
verb
make believe with the intent to deceive
phony
adjective
fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
phoney
adjective
fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
fake
noun
a person who makes deceitful pretenses
phony
noun
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
phoney
noun
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
bastard
noun
derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
falsch
eine Person, die Überzeugungen und Meinungen bekundet, die sie nicht vertritt, um ihre wahren Gefühle oder Motive zu verbergen
🇫🇷French
faux
une personne qui professe des croyances et des opinions qu'elle n'a pas afin de cacher ses véritables sentiments ou motivations
🇪🇸Spanish
falso
Una persona que profesa creencias y opiniones que no tiene para ocultar sus verdaderos sentimientos o motivos.
🇮🇹Italian
falso
una persona che professa convinzioni e opinioni che non ha al fine di nascondere i suoi reali sentimenti o motivazioni
🇳🇱Dutch
nep
een persoon die overtuigingen en meningen belijdt die hij of zij niet heeft, om zijn of haar echte gevoelens of motieven te verbergen
🇵🇹Portuguese
falso
uma pessoa que professa crenças e opiniões que não possui, a fim de ocultar seus reais sentimentos ou motivos
🇷🇺Russian
фальшивый
человек, который исповедует убеждения и мнения, которых он или она не придерживается, с целью скрыть свои истинные чувства или мотивы
India
🇮🇳Hindi
जाली
एक व्यक्ति जो अपनी वास्तविक भावनाओं या उद्देश्यों को छुपाने के लिए ऐसी मान्यताओं और विचारों का प्रचार करता है जो उसके पास नहीं हैं।
🇧🇩Bengali
ফোনি
একজন ব্যক্তি যিনি বিশ্বাস এবং মতামত স্বীকার করেন যে তিনি তার প্রকৃত অনুভূতি বা উদ্দেশ্যগুলি গোপন করার জন্য রাখেন না
🇮🇳Tamil
ஒலிப்பு
அவரது உண்மையான உணர்வுகள் அல்லது நோக்கங்களை மறைப்பதற்காக அவர் அல்லது அவள் வைத்திருக்காத நம்பிக்கைகள் மற்றும் கருத்துக்களை வெளிப்படுத்தும் நபர்
🇮🇳Telugu
ఫోను
అతని లేదా ఆమె నిజమైన భావాలు లేదా ఉద్దేశాలను దాచడానికి అతను లేదా ఆమె కలిగి లేని నమ్మకాలు మరియు అభిప్రాయాలను ప్రకటించే వ్యక్తి
🇮🇳Marathi
फोनी
एखादी व्यक्ती जी त्याच्या किंवा तिच्या वास्तविक भावना किंवा हेतू लपवण्यासाठी विश्वास आणि मतांचा दावा करते की तो किंवा ती धरत नाही
🇮🇳Gujarati
ફોની
એવી વ્યક્તિ કે જે માન્યતાઓ અને અભિપ્રાયોનો દાવો કરે છે કે તે અથવા તેણી તેની વાસ્તવિક લાગણીઓ અથવા હેતુઓને છુપાવવા માટે રાખતી નથી
🇮🇳Kannada
ಫೋನಿ
ಅವನ ಅಥವಾ ಅವಳ ನೈಜ ಭಾವನೆಗಳು ಅಥವಾ ಉದ್ದೇಶಗಳನ್ನು ಮರೆಮಾಚಲು ಅವನು ಅಥವಾ ಅವಳು ಹೊಂದಿರದ ನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸುವ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ
🇮🇳Malayalam
ധ്വനിപ്പിക്കുന്ന
അവൻ്റെ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവളുടെ യഥാർത്ഥ വികാരങ്ങളോ ഉദ്ദേശ്യങ്ങളോ മറച്ചുവെക്കുന്നതിനായി അവൻ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവൾ കൈവശം വയ്ക്കാത്ത വിശ്വാസങ്ങളും അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളും പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്ന ഒരു വ്യക്തി
seseorang yang menganut keyakinan dan pendapat yang tidak dianutnya untuk menyembunyikan perasaan atau motifnya yang sebenarnya
🇲🇾Malay
fonetik
seseorang yang mengaku kepercayaan dan pendapat yang tidak dipegangnya untuk menyembunyikan perasaan atau motif sebenar mereka
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
زائف
الشخص الذي يصرح بمعتقدات وآراء لا يحملها من أجل إخفاء مشاعره أو دوافعه الحقيقية
🇮🇷Persian
ساختگی
شخصی که عقاید و عقایدی را که برای پنهان کردن احساسات یا انگیزه های واقعی خود ندارد، اظهار می کند.
🇹🇷Turkish
sahte
Gerçek duygularını veya amaçlarını gizlemek için sahip olmadığı inanç ve görüşleri açıklayan kişi
🇮🇱Hebrew
מְזוּיָף
אדם המצהיר על אמונות ודעות שהוא אינו מחזיק בהם כדי להסתיר את רגשותיו או מניעיו האמיתיים
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'phoney'?
The primary meaning of 'phoney' is 'a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'phoney' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'phoney' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'phoney' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'phoney' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'phoney' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'phoney' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'phoney' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'phoney' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'phoney' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'phoney' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)?
Open the Advanced entry →
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