Tony

The word “Tony” means fashionable and upscale; high-toned. In plain terms, either the Broadway theatre award, or an informal adjective for something posh and stylish.

“Tony” is pronounced TOH-nee (/ˈtoʊni/ in IPA).

Here is “Tony” used in a sentence: “They moved into a tony neighbourhood near the coast.”

Depending on how it is used, “Tony” can be an adjective and a noun.

“Tony” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Tony” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: fashionable and upscale; high-toned.

Both describe something upscale and fashionable, but tony is chiefly American and often used of neighbourhoods, hotels or shops that project wealth and style. Posh is more common in British English and can describe people and accents as well as places. In practice they mean much the same: smart, expensive and high-class.

You might read about 'a tony address in Manhattan', 'a tony private school', or 'the city's toniest restaurant'. The word paints a picture of money, fashion and exclusivity, so it suits smart hotels, expensive shopping streets and well-heeled suburbs. It is nearly always used approvingly, suggesting a place worth being seen in.

Tony is fairly informal and slightly journalistic, popular in lifestyle writing, property listings and reviews rather than formal prose. It carries a light, approving tone, hinting that a place is chic and expensive. In more formal writing you would more likely see 'upscale', 'exclusive' or 'fashionable' in its place.