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Phony vs Fraudulent - What's the difference?

phony | fraudulent |

As adjectives the difference between phony and fraudulent

is that phony is fraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance while fraudulent is dishonest; based on fraud or deception.

As a noun phony

is a person who assumes an identity or quality other than their own.

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

    fraudulent

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • dishonest; based on fraud or deception
  • false; phony
    • He tried to pass a fraudulent check.

    Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "fraudulent" is often applied: claim, practice, transfer, scheme, transaction, document, intent, misrepresentation, act, action, mortgage, check, conveyance, accounting, bankruptcy, reporting, etc.

    Synonyms

    * See also * See also

    Derived terms

    * fraudulently