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
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
Worst of all, charlatans and ideologues are being placed in positions of power.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2025
That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Also, not every pollster is a charlatan, but questioning random samples of voters is not rocket science and it is usually done by part-time workers who gather data from citizens who share their thoughts on political races.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Worst of all, charlatans and ideologues are being placed in positions of power.
—Big Think, 20 Feb. 2025
That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of businesses desiring to push unsafe and ineffective nostrums at unwary consumers, and also in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Also, not every pollster is a charlatan, but questioning random samples of voters is not rocket science and it is usually done by part-time workers who gather data from citizens who share their thoughts on political races.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for charlatan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatan
Noun
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The man who brought up the accusation of welfare fraud, who admitted to working for Alite's former boss John Gotti Jr., left the room, leaving a packet of handouts on a seat on his way out.—
Olivia Liu,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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As the Trump administration's cost-cutting initiative, DOGE has slashed tens of thousands of federal jobs in the name of reducing fraud, waste and abuse.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The set features an all-over stitched diamond pattern with neatly finished edges, curved corners, and matching shams for a cohesive look.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
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Your order wouldn’t be complete without matching shams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Fran Drescher also spoke out in favor of the bill, explaining how deep fakes have affected her image.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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What makes a painting by a master so much better than a really good fake?—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Sorting the contenders from pretenders Here’s a quick rundown of where every team stands after the Jets eked out a Game 5 win over the upstart Blues last night in whiteout Winnipeg.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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The speed with which this group develops chemistry and finds that star could determine where the Crimson Tide fall on the spectrum between contender and pretender.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Famous athlete revealed as Fuzzy Peas on Masked Singer while Ken Jeong shocks with Lord Farquaad look on wild Shrek Night With a final dramatic flourish of his cape and a quack, Lucky Duck departed, and it was revealed that Coral would be joining Paparazzo in the final six.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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Milla — a young woman who feels disillusioned by doctors that treat her like a recalcitrant child, directing even conversations about her treatment to her father instead of her — finds false security in quacks selling enemas and juice cleanses.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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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
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Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
26 July 2024
Noun
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Legitimate candidates face tougher hurdles while impostors glide through.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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The success of the impostor scam illuminates another reason criminals are able to bilk Americans today.—
Alana Semuels,
TIME,
18 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Charlatan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charlatan. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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