as in frauds
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 charlatans
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charlatans
Noun
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The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
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There is absolutely no evidence that frauds of this type or anywhere near this scale are happening in any of the other four states, or frankly that there is a large volume of as-yet-undiscovered fraud in Minnesota itself.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The overwhelming motive for the early fakes was to provide entertainment — about three-quarters of the images in the exhibition were created for this purpose, Rooseboom said.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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The flurry of non-consensual deep fakes produced on the platform prompted outrage and concern across the globe.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The set comes with matching pillow shams in every size for a simple bedroom refresh at a budget-friendly price.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
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Sarah Sherman Samuel transforms high-quality hemp bedding with a tiger illustration—drawn by her son, no less—to make a set of shams perfect for elevating your bedding set with custom-like details.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
10 Feb. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Charlatans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charlatans. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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