phoney
Not the genuine
Phoney means fake or fraudulent—not genuine despite appearances.
A phoney accent is affected, a phoney smile insincere.
As a noun, a phoney is a person who pretends to be something they're not: He's a complete phoney.
The spelling phony is more common in American English, while phoney prevails in British usage.
Not the real thing
- counterfeitFraudulent imitation
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- knockoffUnauthorized replica product
- replicaFaithful scaled reproduction
imitation · sham · copy · reproduction · facsimile · duplicate · simulacrum · mock-up
Counterfeit or fraudulent
- shamFraudulent imitation
- spuriousFalse though appearing genuine
- ersatzArtificial and inferior substitute
- fictitiousNot real, invented
fabricated · pseudo · mock · contrived · feigned · specious · falsified · forged
One feigning another's identity
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- fakeNot the real thing
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
swindler · conman · hoaxer · trickster · scammer · fraudster · grifter · quack
Feigning belief or feeling
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- hypocriticalFeigning beliefs one lacks
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
glib · slick · smooth-talking · superficial · hollow · affected · put-on · plastic
fake
Not the real thing
- counterfeitFraudulent imitation
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- knockoffUnauthorized replica product
replica · imitation · sham · copy · reproduction · facsimile · duplicate · simulacrum · mock-up · lookalike
bogus
Counterfeit or fraudulent
- shamFraudulent imitation
- spuriousFalse though appearing genuine
- ersatzArtificial and inferior substitute
fictitious · fabricated · pseudo · mock · contrived · feigned · specious · falsified · forged · faux
impostor
One feigning another's identity
pretender · swindler · conman · hoaxer · trickster · scammer · fraudster · grifter · quack · mountebank
insincere
Feigning belief or feeling
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- hypocriticalFeigning beliefs one lacks
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
two-faced · glib · slick · smooth-talking · superficial · hollow · affected · put-on · plastic · false
- phone callRemote voice conversation
- phone numberNumeric calling address
- cell phonePortable wireless communicator
- phone bookListing of local numbers
- phone boothEnclosed public telephone station
- pick up the phoneAccept an incoming call