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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for charlatan

Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatan

Noun

According to Hon Weng Chong, Cortical Labs founder and CEO, some potential applications include drug discovery, humanoid robotics, cybersecurity and fraud detection.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
In March 2025, the EPA terminated roughly $20 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants, with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin alleging programmatic fraud and abuse.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of fraud

Noun

As part of the investigation, the Canadian Conservation Institute agreed to inspect four potential fakes, which arrived on its doorstep in 2021.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
The second-round pass rusher made aggressive mistakes, falling twice for option fakes and overrunning a screen pass early.

— Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of fake

Noun

The transfer portal can transform a contender into a pretender in a single offseason.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
The schedule is forgivable, even by ACC standards, but a rematch on the road against Notre Dame will separate the Canes as contenders or pretenders.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of pretender

Noun

DeSantis, his quack surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, and Uthmeier are all faces of that paranoia.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
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

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

Browse Nearby Words

charity

charlatan

charlatans

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“Charlatan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charlatan. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of charlatan

noun

Example Sentences

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