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 of charlatan

• fraud
• sham
• fake
• pretender
• quack
• deceiver
• mountebank
• misleader
• faker
• impostor

Examples of charlatan in a Sentence

the famed faith healer turned out to be a charlatan

Recent Examples on the Web

The 21st century’s obstacles for young men—as seen in deaths of despair and lagging employment—have been amply publicized both by credible journalists and by charlatans such as Fuentes. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026

Carl Sagan's baloney detection kit taught us how to separate good science from the work of charlatans. —Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026

First up was Ben Shapiro, who described Tucker Carlson and others as grifters and charlatans, guilty of misleading their audiences with falsehoods and conspiracy theories. —Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025

Of course, there is also plenty of Trump flattery along with paeans to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his cockamamie make-America-sick-again agenda, as one medical charlatan nods to another. —Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2025

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