Synonyms of fraud

fraud

noun

ˈfrȯd 

1

as in scam

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

thousands of people lost money when the investment scheme turned out to be a fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scam
• swindle
• con
• hoax
• scheme
• flimflam
• sting
• shell game
• bunco
• device
• hustle
• fiddle
• trick
• counterfeit
• forgery
• racket
• cross
• Ponzi scheme
• pyramid scheme
• stratagem
• fix
• rip-off
• overcharging
• gouging
• sham
• ploy
• fake
• jig
• dodge
• phony
• gimmick
• wile
• soaking
• sleight
• humbug
• three-card monte
• thimblerig

2

as in fake

one who makes false claims of identity or expertise

the "blind" panhandler was just a fraud trying to con holiday shoppers out of their money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fake
• sham
• pretender
• charlatan
• deceiver
• misleader
• impostor
• faker
• quack
• actor
• phony
• mountebank
• counterfeiter
• operator
• hoaxer
• ringer
• humbug
• fakir
• sharper
• quacksalver
• copycat
• dissembler
• swindler
• defrauder
• fraudster
• imitator
• scammer
• impersonator
• trickster
• mimic
• skinner
• poseur
• dodger
• duper
• scamster
• bluffer
• feigner
• sharpie
• cozener

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expert
• master
• authority
• professional
• virtuoso
• wizard
• maestro
• ace
• whiz
• past master
• adept
• crackerjack

3

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

charges that he had gained control of his elderly mother's estate by fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• deceit
• cheating
• deceptiveness
• deceitfulness
• cunning
• lying
• dishonesty
• duplicity
• fakery
• crookedness
• crookery
• double-dealing
• secrecy
• dissimulation
• fraudulence
• dissembling
• cozenage
• dupery
• guile
• craftiness
• craft
• cunningness
• wiliness
• artifice
• swindling
• subterfuge
• chicanery
• trickery
• prevarication
• skulduggery
• guilefulness
• hypocrisy
• foxiness
• mendacity
• insincerity
• equivocation
• jugglery
• hanky-panky
• artfulness
• obliquity
• legerdemain
• fib
• untruth
• falsehood
• underhandedness
• chicane
• mountebankery
• shrewdness
• deviousness
• wile
• unscrupulousness
• shadiness
• sanctimoniousness
• treacherousness
• falsity
• furtiveness
• caginess
• sneakiness
• covertness
• slyness
• shiftiness
• slipperiness
• smoothness
• two-facedness
• stealthiness
• oiliness
• slickness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good faith
• sincerity
• artlessness
• ingenuousness
• openness
• forthrightness
• frankness
• candor
• honesty
• directness
• reliability
• guilelessness
• plainness
• probity
• trustworthiness
• integrity
• solidity
• dependability
• truthfulness
• goodness
• righteousness
• candidness
• plainspokenness
• decency
• incorruptibility
• uprightness
• trustiness
• trustability
• reliableness
• virtuousness

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fraud different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of fraud are counterfeit, fake, humbug, imposture, and sham. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When could counterfeit be used to replace fraud?

The words counterfeit and fraud can be used in similar contexts, but counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When can fake be used instead of fraud?

The words fake and fraud are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

When would humbug be a good substitute for fraud?

The meanings of humbug and fraud largely overlap; however, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When might imposture be a better fit than fraud?

While in some cases nearly identical to fraud, imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

In what contexts can sham take the place of fraud?

Although the words sham and fraud have much in common, sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fraud

Even more troubling, the prosecutor — who has ties to Trump allies — received a special appointment from Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate election fraud cases nationwide, according to Bloomberg Law. —Barbara McQuade, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2026

The doors are locked and a notice of non-payment from National Grid is pasted to the front of El Primo Restaurant in Leominster after federal authorities nabbed its owner and three others for allegedly conducting a $1 million SNAP fraud scheme. —Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026

For Abercrombie & Fitch, fraud often exploits early refund programs and customer service escalation, according to Rob Sondergaard, the apparel retailer’s senior director of returns, fraud and abuse. —Peter Sadera, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026

Audacious last gasp The lawsuit, filed without evidence of fraud, was an audacious last-gasp attempt to overturn the results. —Barbara McQuade, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026