1
as in dodger
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value
a traveling carnival that was run by fakirs preying on small-town rubes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in sham
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
a fakir peddling patent medicines that were mostly liquor and sugar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fakir
Almost a fakir, a legend like that.
—
Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Bankman-Fried has refined the persona of a dishevelled, savantlike techno-fakir.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
To be fair, the new nationalists have done their best, explicitly and repeatedly, to distance their emerging movement from white nationalists, alt-right fakirs, strident isolationists, and other assorted cranks.
—John Hood, National Review, 28 Aug. 2019
Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Bankman-Fried has refined the persona of a dishevelled, savantlike techno-fakir.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
To be fair, the new nationalists have done their best, explicitly and repeatedly, to distance their emerging movement from white nationalists, alt-right fakirs, strident isolationists, and other assorted cranks.
—John Hood, National Review, 28 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fakir
Noun
-
Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.—
Kirsten Grieshaber,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Almost all other passengers dine at the Britannia Restaurant, and there’s also a buffet restaurant serving international cuisine, with options for vegans, vegetarians and dairy dodgers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Shop deals on scalloped duvets and sheets, fringe shams, patchwork quilts, floral sheets, and more.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
-
The three-piece set includes two 20x26-inch matching pillow shams.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Consider this your summer styling cheat code — and thank Selena Gomez later.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
Surprising but inevitable is the key to great writing, and Nick Cage is the human cheat code.—
Oren Uziel,
IndieWire,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The team’s Mediterranean Programme was devised in response to the exponential risk of extinction to the sea’s nearly 80 species of shark and ray.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
That has led to some dangerous shark-human interactions over the years.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Is the team a contender, a pretender or rebuilding?—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Now, hardship seems to be an end in itself, a battle scar or badge of honor that distinguishes true backpackers from mere pretenders.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Time,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Visa, the world’s largest payment network outside of China, will provide the payment authorization and fraud monitoring needed to do this at scale.—
Barbara Ortutay,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
The bank that lets agents move customer money will own the early failures, the fraud cases that test the new attack surface, and the regulatory scrutiny that follows.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year.—
Las Vegas Review-Journal,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
-
To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fakir.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fakir. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
