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Phony vs Fake - What's the difference?

phony | fake |

Fake is a antonym of phony.

Fake is a synonym of phony.



As adjectives the difference between phony and fake

is that phony is fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance while fake is not real; false, fraudulent.

As nouns the difference between phony and fake

is that phony is a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own while fake is something which is not genuine, or is presented fraudulently.

As a verb fake is

to cheat; to swindle; to steal; to rob.

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

    fake

    English

    Etymology 1

    (wikipedia fake) The origin is not known with certainty, although first attested in 1775

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Not real; false, fraudulent.
    • Which fur coat looks fake ?
    Synonyms
    * See also
    Antonyms
    * genuine

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something which is not genuine, or is presented fraudulently.
  • A trick; a swindle.
  • (soccer) Move meant to deceive an opposing player, used for gaining advantage when dribbling an opponent.
    • Synonyms
    * (soccer move) feint, (ice hokey move) deke

    Verb

    (fak)
  • To cheat; to swindle; to steal; to rob.
  • To make; to construct; to do. (rfexample)
  • To modify fraudulently, so as to make an object appear better or other than it really is; as, to fake a bulldog, by burning his upper lip and thus artificially shortening it.
  • To make a counterfeit, to counterfeit, to forge, to falsify.
  • To make a false display of, to affect, to feign, to simulate.
    • Synonyms
    * (To modify fraudulently) adulterate * (To make a false display) pass off, pose
    Derived terms
    * fake out * faker

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) (m), to coil a rope .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) One of the circles or windings of a cable or hawser, as it lies in a coil; a single turn or coil.

    • Verb

    (fak)
  • (nautical) To coil (a rope, line, or hawser), by winding alternately in opposite directions, in layers usually of zigzag or figure of eight form, to prevent twisting when running out.