charlatan

noun

char·​la·​tan ˈshär-lə-tən 

1

: quack entry 4 sense 2

charlatans harming their patients with dubious procedures

2

: one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or ability : fraud, faker

a charlatan willing to do and say virtually anything to remain in the spotlight

—Alan Brinkley

charlatanism

ˈshär-lə-tə-ˌni-zəm 

noun

charlatanry

ˈshär-lə-tən-rē 

noun

Did you know?

In medieval Italy, people roamed throughout the land selling fake remedies and making false claims about their healing abilities. Many of these pretenders reputedly came from a village called Cerreto, and as a result, cerretano (meaning “inhabitant of Cerreto”) became an epithet for a quack physician. In addition, these frauds used a practiced patter to attract customers, like the chatter of a circus barker. The Italian word for “to chatter” is ciarlare, and chattering was so associated with the cerretano that the spelling of the word shifted to ciarlatano. By the early 17th century, English speakers had anglicized the Italian word to charlatan and adopted it as their own.

Synonyms

• fake
• faker
• fakir
• fraud
• hoaxer
• humbug
• impostor
• imposter
• mountebank
• phony
• phoney
• pretender
• quack
• quacksalver
• ringer
• sham

Examples of charlatan in a Sentence

the famed faith healer turned out to be a charlatan

Recent Examples on the Web

Take, for instance, that charlatan Justin Timberlake. —Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2023

Elizabeth and Calvin’s empirically minded atheism is often challenged by Christian characters—some generous true believers and others cruel charlatans. —TIME, 13 Oct. 2023

That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023

Meanwhile, a fresh-from-her-Oscar-win Michelle Yeoh beautifully navigates a crucial but sometimes invisible line between empath and charlatan in her limited screen time as Mrs. Reynolds. —Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023

But that may only leave a vacuum to be filled by the next glittery charlatan to catch the media’s attention. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023

Silicon Valley’s shamans and charlatans regularly speak with such an astonishing blend of vanity, inanity and obliviousness that there isn’t much left for an enterprising satirist to add, but Hornsby’s descriptions frequently draw blood. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 4 July 2023

As a motivational speaker and a bit of a charlatan selling a pickup artist tutorial, Cruise rises to the occasion by certainly stealing scenes but also sharing the load beautifully with an ensemble of gifted actors keen on exploring the human condition. —Ben Flanagan | [e-mail], al, 3 July 2023

Will weight-loss drugs put diet charlatans out of business? —Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 9 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Italian ciarlatano, alteration of cerretano, literally, inhabitant of Cerreto, from Cerreto, Italy

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

charlatan

noun

char·​la·​tan ˈshär-lə-tən 

: a person who pretends to have knowledge or ability

Etymology

from Italian ciarlatano "charlatan," an altered form of cerretano (same meaning), literally, "inhabitant of Cerreto (village in Italy)"

Word Origin

In the early 16th century people claiming medical skills they did not really have wandered throughout Italy. They sold medicines of little or no value. Because many of these fakers came from a village called Cerreto, the name cerretano, meaning "inhabitant of Cerreto," became a general name for a medical faker. Such people always had a line of talk to help them sell their products. Through the influence of the Italian word ciarlare, meaning "to chatter," the word cerretano, when used to refer to these fakers, became ciarlatano. It is from this word that we get our English charlatan.

Medical Definition

charlatan

noun

char·​la·​tan ˈshär-lət-ən 

: quack