2.PRETENDsomeone who is phoney is insincere and pretends to be something they are not 〔人〕骗人的,不诚实的
—phoney noun [countableC]
He’s a complete phoney!
他是个十足的骗子!
—phoniness noun [uncountableU]
Examples from the Corpus
phoney• In Tehelka's suburban office in Delhi, they devised a false logo for West End and printed off phoney business cards.• Is that part of the disgraceful, phoneycitizenscharter?• And it was all the better for being hosted by real-deal Alice Cooper rather than fatphoney Phill Jupitus.• It is election year, and a phoney war is being waged between the two main parties.