as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the famed faith healer turned out to be a charlatan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of charlatan
Malcolm McDowell is a sneering charlatan, Scout Taylor-Compton is a one-note screaming victim, and Tyler Mane offers nothing new.
—
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Professional historians denounced Fomenko as a charlatan, but his countless fans remained undeterred.
—Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
Famously, the Wizard is a charlatan in every version of the text.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Professional historians denounced Fomenko as a charlatan, but his countless fans remained undeterred.
—Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
Famously, the Wizard is a charlatan in every version of the text.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatan
Noun
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The video, shared on Truth Social, also included unsubstantiated voter fraud allegations.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
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Today, the movement is remembered less for enlightenment and more for its crimes – including massive immigration fraud and a mass food poisoning in Oregon in 1984, the largest bioterror attack on American soil.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The set includes two matching shams, comes in 12 colors, and is on sale for up to 80 percent off.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
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The three-piece set comes with a down-alternative comforter and two pillow shams made of 95 GSM polyester for a lightweight, breathable fabric that keeps moisture at bay—perfect for all-season use.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The overwhelming motive for the early fakes was to provide entertainment — about three-quarters of the images in the exhibition were created for this purpose, Rooseboom said.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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Drake had taken a risk, executed the perfect fake.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Advertisement Iranians deserve better than the Pahlavi pretender.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But when a patient recognizes him from his dangerous past, Brown has eight hours to elude the government, mob hitmen, quack surgeons, and a trail of dead gangers to beat the reaper somehow.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
18 Dec. 2025
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But let’s circle back to TV‘s patron saint of affable, oft–insidious quacks.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2026
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Islamic eschatology warned of a deceiver who distorts perception, blurring reality.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
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Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Charlatan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charlatan. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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