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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of charlatan
Trying to keep the population safe from a novel infectious disease, battling to understand the virus, but also navigating people's suspicion of vaccines and science, and their desire to use bleach and ivermectin, egged on by charlatans.
—
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
For them, the Nazarene is not a charlatan, but an upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel.
—Daniel Burke, NPR, 9 May 2025
It was bought for $40,000 in 1937 by medical charlatan Norman Baker.
—Jack Schnedler, Arkansas Online, 5 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
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
For them, the Nazarene is not a charlatan, but an upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel.
—Daniel Burke, NPR, 9 May 2025
It was bought for $40,000 in 1937 by medical charlatan Norman Baker.
—Jack Schnedler, Arkansas Online, 5 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
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatan
Noun
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Criminals that are able to gain access to passwords put up for sale on the dark web are able to use them for identify theft, fraud, and even blackmail.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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The truth is that almost all the fraud, waste and abuse in the health care system comes from the billing and payment processes and skyrocketing prices, not from people who rely on Medicaid for essential care.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Official results of the election handed Lukashenko his sixth term in office but were denounced by the opposition and the West as a sham.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 June 2025
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Furthermore, this set offers excellent value by including the duvet cover and shams for seamless coordination.—
Jacorey Moon,
Architectural Digest,
21 June 2025
Noun
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And not just shooting the shot, but using it to create space for my teammates or using a shot fake to create a different shot for myself or a drive to kick.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
28 June 2025
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But a closer inspection revealed some telltale signs that the document, first obtained by the Tribune through a public records request, is likely a fake.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Noun
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What used to be a very niche field with only a small handful of offerings has become a cottage industry full of contenders and pretenders, and any number of startups offering a readymade conversion for your bike.—
Michael Venutolo-Mantovani,
Wired News,
20 June 2025
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With a guitarist by her side doing little else than striking the poses of bygone hair-metal pretenders, SZA sang from her knees and brought back ‘80s pop rock.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Tell that to the kids who have been hospitalized and died from measles, following quack Dr. Bobby’s Rx to avoid the shots.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
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The Spare Room by Helen Garner This is a book about a woman, Helen, who decides to let her old friend, Nicola, who is dying of cancer, come and stay with her in Melbourne while Nicola sees a local quack doctor.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
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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The Reframe: From Proving To Exploring Breaking free from the impostor myth isn’t about proving more.—
Neerja Bhatia,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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The impostors then stole two hot dogs and menaced the vendor with a knife before taking off on Seventh Ave., heading toward 44th St. Cops took one man into custody following the heist, and are looking for a second person dressed in a red hoodie, black pants and black and white sneakers.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Charlatan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charlatan. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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