The adjective 'tony' originates from the common English given name 'Tony', itself a diminutive of 'Anthony'. The name 'Anthony' derives from the Roman family name Antonius, of uncertain but possibly Etruscan origin. In late 19th and early 20th century American English, 'tony' was adopted as a slang adjective to describe something or someone possessing the stylish, luxurious, or high-society qualities stereotypically associated with affluent people named Anthony. Thus, a proper noun evolved through social association into a descriptive term for fashionable elegance.

This word is a proper name (a hypocorism of Anthony) adopted into common use as an adjective. It is not productively formed from combinable morphemes in English.