Question

Choose the word that gives the antonym of the italicized word.
He appears to be a phony person.
a- Ugly
b- Genuine
c- Unreal
d- Beautiful

Answer 1

Hint: An antonym or an opposite refers to a word that is contrary in meaning to another word. For example- Prowess is an antonym for cowardice. ‘Phony’ refers to the quality of being fake or fraud.

Complete answer:
 The word ‘phony’ has been derived from the Irish word- Fawney, which means finger-ring.
We know the meaning and the origin of the word ‘phony’. Now, let’s look at its usage:
For example- My sister went to Canada for holiday and she returned with a phony accent. Here, we can conclude that X’s sister returned from Canada with a fake or unreal accent.
Let’s examine the meaning of the given options-
Option a- ‘Ugly’ refers to the quality of being unattractive or hideous. For example- She painted an ugly picture of mine. ‘Ugly’ is different in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘Genuine’ refers to the quality of being real or authentic. For example- I couldn’t believe he was going to give me a genuine 24-carat gold ring. ‘Genuine’ is opposite in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option c- ‘Unreal’ refers to something imaginary or made-up. For example- Winning the competition was an unreal experience. ‘Unreal’ is similar in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option d- ‘Beautiful’ refers to the quality of being attractive or pleasant. For example- My sister looked beautiful in the dress. ‘Beautiful’ is different in meaning to the given context. Hence, it is an incorrect option. The correct answer is Option ‘b’.

Note:
Some other antonyms for ‘phony’ are; authentic, real, true, etc while some synonyms for ‘phony’ are; forged, counterfeit, spurious, etc.