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GRE vocabulary

phony

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore P words

not genuine or real; fraudulent or insincere

In a sentence

Phony in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing phony in a sentence.

The investor quickly recognized that the documents were phony and refused to sign.

The memoir was exposed as phony, its dramatic episodes invented for effect.

Synonyms
fakecounterfeitspuriousinsincere
Antonyms
genuineauthenticsincerereal
Usage & nuance

Using “phony” well

Phony is informal and accusatory, marking something as a deliberate fake or someone as insincere.

Common questions

Questions about “phony

Phony (adjective) means not genuine or real; fraudulent or insincere
Here is phony used in an example sentence: "The investor quickly recognized that the documents were phony and refused to sign." Another example: "The memoir was exposed as phony, its dramatic episodes invented for effect."
Common synonyms for phony include fake, counterfeit, spurious, insincere.
Antonyms of phony include genuine, authentic, sincere, real.
On the GRE, phony clusters with fake, counterfeit, spurious, and insincere, opposing genuine, authentic, sincere, and real.
Yes. Phony is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.