impostor syndrome
noun
variants
or imposter syndrome
: a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one's abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one's ongoing success
Plucked from semi-obscurity to replace Ann Landers, who died in 2002, Amy Dickinson suffered bouts of imposter syndrome: Who was she to give advice to the millions who read Landers' syndicated column?—
Kim Hubbard
Kim HubbardFormer US first lady Michelle Obama on Thursday urged girls to resist the "impostor syndrome" she had felt on the way up and fight men for power, saying plenty of them didn't deserve it.—Lih Yi Beh
Lih Yi BehExamples of impostor syndrome in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s impostor syndrome, a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of their competence.
—John Schneider, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Yet, even the Golden State Warriors star suffers from impostor syndrome.
—Jessica Golden,alex Sherman, CNBC, 2 June 2025
And yet, impostor syndrome, like comedy, is something Victor can’t seem to shake.
—Jen Wang, Vogue, 27 May 2025
Most business owners struggle with impostor syndrome, questioning their leadership abilities.
—Hanneke Antonelli, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor syndrome
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
John Schneider, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Yet, even the Golden State Warriors star suffers from impostor syndrome.
—Jessica Golden,alex Sherman, CNBC, 2 June 2025
And yet, impostor syndrome, like comedy, is something Victor can’t seem to shake.
—Jen Wang, Vogue, 27 May 2025
Most business owners struggle with impostor syndrome, questioning their leadership abilities.
—Hanneke Antonelli, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor syndrome
Cite this Entry
“Impostor syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impostor%20syndrome. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share