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GRE vocabulary

phony

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore P words

not genuine or real; fraudulent or insincere

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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

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

The professor's lectures were notoriously blank; students often left more puzzled than when they had arrived, unable to follow his tangled chains of reasoning.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

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.

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