phoney/fake

[Will17]

Hello!

Can we use phoney and fake interchangeably in this case?

"He's fake/phoney".

Thank you very much for your help.

Will17

[birdeen's call]

"He's phoney" means that he's insincere. "He's fake" means that he is not genuine.

[Will17]

Thank you.

But if we say that he isn't genuine it means he is insincere, doesn't it?

Thank you
Will

[birdeen's call]

Thank you.

But if we say that he isn't genuine it means he is insincere, doesn't it?

Thank you
Will

Not exactly. When you're phony, you do or say things in order to deceive others. You're not truthful.

You're a fake X when you pretend to be X. You're a fake queen when you pretend to be a queen while you are not. It's also untruthful, but it's a special kind.