What does fakery mean?
Fakery is the act or practice of faking: deliberate deception in which something false is presented as genuine. The word covers everything from forged paintings and counterfeit documents to staged photographs, rigged evidence, and insincere public behavior. It can also refer more broadly to fake things considered collectively, as when an expert sorts authentic artifacts from fakery. Fakery is always used disapprovingly; it implies intent to mislead, distinguishing it from harmless reproduction or homage. Journalists and critics favor it when exposing hoaxes, forgeries, and manufactured personas, often in phrases like 'outright fakery' or 'an elaborate fakery.' The noun derives from the verb 'fake,' whose own etymology remains uncertain — an irony not lost on lexicographers. Understanding fakery matters because it names a pervasive modern problem: in an age of digital images and synthetic media, the ability to name and detect deliberate deception has never been more valuable.
The act or practice of faking; deliberate deception by presenting something false as genuine.
"The investigation revealed years of fakery in the company's published test results."
Uncountable; takes singular agreement.
Fake or counterfeit things regarded collectively.
"Among the signed first editions sat an obvious shelf of fakery."
Less common than the primary sense; still uncountable.
Rarely used in the plural, since fakery usually functions as an uncountable mass noun. A plural may appear when referring to multiple distinct instances or pieces of fakery.
"The appraiser had seen countless fakeries over his long career."
The word 'fakery' is built from 'fake,' a verb whose own origins remain a mystery even to etymologists — a fittingly slippery history for a word about deception.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Related word forms
How fakery is actually used
Fakery is an uncountable noun and carries a consistently negative connotation, implying intent to deceive rather than innocent imitation. It is common in journalism and criticism, especially regarding art, memorabilia, media, and public personas.
Easily confused with fakery
A fakir is a Muslim or Hindu religious ascetic or mendicant, entirely unrelated in meaning to fakery, despite the similar spelling.