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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Recent Examples of charlatan
The gloomiest of the adverse reactions is that charlatans will insidiously attempt to convince others that AGI is indeed supernatural.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Where to watch Saw: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
03 of 10
Saw X (2023)
John Kramer ventures to Mexico for an experimental cancer treatment administered by money-hungry charlatans in this slick but not particularly inventive revival sequel, which takes place between the events of Saw and Saw II.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 10 May 2025
Death at the hands of charlatans is not an inspiring storyline, which means publishers and film studios studiously avoid it.
—Alan Levinovitz, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
There are many ethical and honest and capable mediums out there, but there are also a lot of charlatans, and this is their hook.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Where to watch Saw: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
03 of 10
Saw X (2023)
John Kramer ventures to Mexico for an experimental cancer treatment administered by money-hungry charlatans in this slick but not particularly inventive revival sequel, which takes place between the events of Saw and Saw II.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 10 May 2025
Death at the hands of charlatans is not an inspiring storyline, which means publishers and film studios studiously avoid it.
—Alan Levinovitz, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
There are many ethical and honest and capable mediums out there, but there are also a lot of charlatans, and this is their hook.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatan
Noun
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The law lowers daily transaction minimums, increases warnings on the kiosks, requires transaction receipts and requires Bitcoin ATM operators to issue refunds to victims of fraud, the release states.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
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Other senior officials opted to leave, including the bureau’s top fraud expert, cryptanalyst and skyjacking expert, and the head of its Crime Information Center.—
Douglas M. Charles,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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An entry-level sheet set from the brand will run you a minimum of $500 with the priciest shams ringing in at a cool $5,000.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
26 Sep. 2025
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In another study, people with migraines who used a handheld VNS device (gammaCore) on the side of their neck were significantly more likely to be pain-free within 30 minutes to an hour of VNS, compared to those receiving a sham (placebo) treatment.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Popular Science,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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His first throw was tantamount to a layup, a play-action fake to the right that sprung fullback Kyle Juszczyk wide open to the left.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Trump has since suggested the recording is a fake.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The contenders, pretenders and everybody in between.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
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Adjustments will be made, and by November and December, there will be a much clearer picture of who the contenders and pretenders are.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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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As experts departed, quacks arrived.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
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Medallion’s Derek Lo figures that his software can cut through the system’s redundancies, slashing the time and cost of paperwork designed to prevent quacks from practicing medicine and safeguard patients that’s spiraled into something burdensome.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Caricatured by Honoré Daumier and his lesser followers always as a mountebank, a charlatan, a circus clown, Louis Napoleon could normalize the extent of his outrages by the seeming harmlessness of his absurdities.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 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 Oct. 2025.
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