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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New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a federal judge Friday to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Quick action can sometimes limit further loss or help investigators trace the fraud.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Floral bedding is an easy way to optimize maximalism in your bedroom—the block print style of this duvet cover and shams create a welcoming, bohemian vibe, making things feel both bright and relaxed in your space.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
8 Jan. 2026
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His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Fortune,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Today, the same fakes can be flagged using AI developed by a company called N2N Services, said Claudia Lee, Golden West College’s vice president of student services.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Jan. 2026
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With the score 3-0 at the time, and both teams struggling to protect their quarterbacks, the fake looked like a potential pivot point in a low-scoring game.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The King of Poland and the pretender to the throne of Sweden.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
4 Nov. 2025
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Week 10 kicked off the month with several examples of contenders and pretenders revealing themselves.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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Automatic ducking doesn't add quacks to your soundtrack.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Nov. 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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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 9 Jan. 2026.
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