What's single word for fake image?

Question

What is single word in English for a fake/false image (in terms of personality, not in terms of photograph) of someone?

Answer 1

Facade ("A deceptive outward appearance") may suit. Also consider disguise, persona ("a role or character adopted by an author or an actor"), and masquerade ("Acting or living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show; pretentious show; disguise"). Trumpery ("worthless finery; bric-a-brac or junk") may be used in achieving a false image; by analogy one might call a false personality trumpery. Spelling note: Be careful not to leave out the er before y.

You may also find useful words (such as two-faced, Janus-like, deceiver, fake, double-dealer, duplicitous, polymorph, chameleon, wolf in sheep's clothing, poser, duplicitous, back-stabber, hypocrite, fraud, imposter, poseur, whited sepulcher, Devil in disguise, fool's gold, mirage, simulacrum, et al) in answers to the following questions:

• #24216: "I'm in need of a word that describes someone who has two personalities (they don't necessarily contrast each other, good/evil)."
• #72916 "What word best describes a person who is deceitful and very complicated to understand? As they say, he wears several masks."
• #42404 "A character in the movie is really bad, but when she talks with others, she pretends to be an innocent/ good woman. I want to know how to describe this kind of person."
• #71398 "What are common phrases that describe something that appears good but is actually bad?"

Answer 2

How about beguile:

transitive verb : to lead by deception

intransitive verb : to deceive by wiles

or specious:

2: having deceptive attraction or allure
3: having a false look of truth or genuineness : sophistic

Answer 3

Depends on the semantic of the fakery/falsehood:

For someones personality I would suggest: ( in order )

1. Disingenuous
2. Phony
3. Factitious
4. Hypocritical
5. Artificial
6. Two Faced
7. Jive Turkey