phony adjective pho·ny ˈfō-nē variants or less commonly phoney phonier; phoniest Synonyms of phony : not genuine or real: such as a (1) : intended to deceive or mislead (2) : intended to defraud : COUNTERFEIT b : arousing suspicion : probably dishonest something phony about the story c : having no basis in fact : FICTITIOUS phony publicity stories d : FALSE, SHAM a phony name https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phony