CHARLATAN Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

charlatan

noun

ˈshär-lə-tən

Definition of charlatan

as in fraud

one who makes false claims of identity or expertise the famed faith healer turned out to be a charlatan

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of charlatan In place of San Francisco’s decaying arts bohemia of poseurs and charlatans, they can be said to be creating an alternate bohemia. — Michael Bernick, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year. — Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026 To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for charlatan

Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatan

Noun

Cárdenas played a pivotal role in Mexico's democratization, beginning with his first presidential bid in 1988, which ended in a defeat widely regarded as the result of widespread electoral fraud.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
With first-party fraud and friendly disputes eroding already thin retail margins, managing chargebacks requires far more than basic operational recovery.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of fraud

Noun

At least being listed on Temu is a warning in and of itself; nobody can argue that these fakes are being passed off as the real thing.

— Stephen Edelstein, The Drive, 31 Oct. 2026
The promotional materials are keen to point out that this is more than a cheap fake, no mere actor or illusion but, in some important way, Dalí.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of fake

Noun

Next Generation premiered in September 1987, two months after Stewart’s 47th birthday, and initially struggled to catch on with Star Trek fans, many of whom considered the new cast to be pretenders to the throne.

— Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
The transfer portal can transform a contender into a pretender in a single offseason.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of pretender

Noun

Our job was to build a story worthy of the Aflac Duck, one with a co-star who could keep up with the iconic quack.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Scientists who disagreed with him, even those from Harvard and Oxford universities, were considered quacks.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of quack

Noun

The actors are perfectly cast, starting with Marmaï’s likable Antoine, the only player here not being the deceiver.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 12 May 2026
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

Definition of deceiver

Noun

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
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

Definition of mountebank

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charity

charlatan

charlatans

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Style

“Charlatan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charlatan. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of charlatan

noun

Example Sentences

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