as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
claimed that many doctors were frauds and mountebanks
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Recent Examples of mountebank
Caricatured by Honoré Daumier and his lesser followers always as a mountebank, a charlatan, a circus clown, Louis Napoleon could normalize the extent of his outrages by the seeming harmlessness of his absurdities.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2025
Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Now, this pallid Color Purple epitomizes the artistic dearth of an era when a cultural mountebank like Winfrey uses race and feminist guile to cheat us of America’s most creative achievements.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024
The alternative circumstance, that crackpots and mountebanks might claim such evidence exists, then fail to produce any, is, on the other hand, entirely plausible and familiar.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 31 July 2023
Another was Charles Colchester, a mountebank who also conjured Willie to the satisfaction of the first lady.
—John J. Miller, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2022
Berk was no mountebank or philistine.
—Mimi Kramer, Vulture, 10 May 2022
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2025
Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Now, this pallid Color Purple epitomizes the artistic dearth of an era when a cultural mountebank like Winfrey uses race and feminist guile to cheat us of America’s most creative achievements.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Jan. 2024
The alternative circumstance, that crackpots and mountebanks might claim such evidence exists, then fail to produce any, is, on the other hand, entirely plausible and familiar.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 31 July 2023
Another was Charles Colchester, a mountebank who also conjured Willie to the satisfaction of the first lady.
—John J. Miller, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2022
Berk was no mountebank or philistine.
—Mimi Kramer, Vulture, 10 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mountebank
Noun
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The Nepalese government, citing concerns over fake accounts, hate speech, disinformation and fraud, said the measures were to ensure accountability and make operators responsible for content on their platforms.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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While the classic grounds for denaturalization include concealment of criminal histories or material lies in the naturalization process, there are growing indications that serious tax fraud may be viewed as evidence that naturalization was procured illegally or fraudulently.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Crazy as this sport is, all four teams might be pretenders.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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But the Bolts don't have enough pieces to go from pretenders to contenders.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Exclusivo Mezcla Reversible Lightweight Quilt Set The Exclusivo Mezcla Quilt Bedding Set includes a reversible quilt and two matching pillow shams to tie the look together.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Sep. 2025
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Pottery Barn offers matching shams with zipper closures, and both the quilt and shams are available on sale.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the game-winning extra point, Notre Dame kept Luke Talich and Leonard Moore back to … protect against a fake?—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Unfortunately a recent deep fake has come in the guise of a friend.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Famously, the Wizard is a charlatan in every version of the text.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
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No matter the party affiliation, there’ll be charlatans claiming to care, while smooth-talking their way into the homes of hard-working people who struggle.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Islamic eschatology warned of a deceiver who distorts perception, blurring reality.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As experts departed, quacks arrived.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
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Medallion’s Derek Lo figures that his software can cut through the system’s redundancies, slashing the time and cost of paperwork designed to prevent quacks from practicing medicine and safeguard patients that’s spiraled into something burdensome.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That’s until their cover in California Schemin’ as rapping imposters was blown and the emotional strain of denying their Scottishness and their fractured friendship revealed itself.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Then there are impostors, which are often heartbreaking.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mountebank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mountebank. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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