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Masquerade vs Phony - What's the difference?

masquerade | phony |

As nouns the difference between masquerade and phony

is that masquerade is a party or assembly of people wearing masks, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions while phony is a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own.

As a verb masquerade

is to assemble in masks; to take part in a masquerade.

As an adjective phony is

fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.

masquerade

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A party or assembly of people wearing masks, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
    • In courtly balls and midnight masquerades -
  • (obsolete) A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask. See “mask”
  • Acting or living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show; pretentious show; disguise.
    • I was invited to the masquerade at their home.
    That masquerade of misrepresentation which invariably accompanied the political eloquence of Rome -
  • (archaic) A Spanish entertainment in which squadrons of horses charge at each other, the riders fighting with bucklers and canes.

    • See also

    * costume party

    Verb

  • To assemble in masks; to take part in a masquerade.
    • I'm going to masquerade as the wikipede. What are you going to dress up as?
  • To frolic or disport in disguise; to make a pretentious show of being what one is not.
    • He masqueraded as my friend until the truth finally came out.
    A freak took an ass in the head, and he goes into the woods, masquerading up and down in a lion's skin -
  • To conceal with masks; to disguise.
    • To masquerade vice - Killingbeck

    phony

    English

    Alternative forms

    * phoney

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.
    • A good jeweler should be able to tell a real stone from a phony one.

    Synonyms

    * (fraudulent) bogus, counterfeit, fake * See also

    Antonyms

    * authentic * genuine

    Derived terms

    * phoniness * phoneyness

    Noun

    (phonies)
  • A person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own.
    • He claims to be a doctor, but he's nothing but a fast-talking phony .
  • A person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold.
    • He's such a phony , he doesn't believe half of what he says.

    Synonyms

    * (faker) dissembler, pretender, fake, faker

    Derived terms

    * phony up, phoney up * Phony War, Phoney War