variants
or imposter
as in fake
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the man who claimed to be a prince turned out to be an impostor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impostor
But the woman turned out to be an impostor from Kansas with at least 30 aliases.
—
Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
According to the Federal Trade Commission, imposters posing as government agencies were one of the top reported scams in the Arizona, costing consumers more than $20 million in 2025.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
His character wakes up from an accident to find out his mother has been replaced by an imposter.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 21 Jan. 2026
And when stuck in this uncomfortable space, people who feel like impostors are likely to become defensive and feel pressured to be a hero.
—John M. Lavelle, The Conversation, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor
Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
According to the Federal Trade Commission, imposters posing as government agencies were one of the top reported scams in the Arizona, costing consumers more than $20 million in 2025.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026
His character wakes up from an accident to find out his mother has been replaced by an imposter.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 21 Jan. 2026
And when stuck in this uncomfortable space, people who feel like impostors are likely to become defensive and feel pressured to be a hero.
—John M. Lavelle, The Conversation, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impostor
Noun
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Some firms have also invested more heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to scale up efforts like text and image screening to better detect fakes and fraudsters.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Mar. 2026
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Plans are now underway for a contemporary reimagining of the series, which saw McShane play the eponymous roguish and fourth wall-breaking antiques dealer, a likeable anti-hero with a knack for recognizing genuine antiques from fakes or forgeries.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Peters has not expressed remorse for her actions, instead defending them as necessary to investigate possible fraud.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
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Last month, in a separate case, Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal handed Lai a rare legal victory by overturning his conviction for fraud and quashing a 69-month sentence.—
Reuters 8 hr ago,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These two pretenders reflect an insider debate whose subject is not the existence of the Islamic Republic but the best method of its survival.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
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The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Home Soft Things cotton set, which includes a duvet cover and standard shams, is gingham meets buffalo plaid.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
26 Feb. 2026
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When one of their victims realized the sham and sought legitimate legal counsel, the defendants sent him messages threatening deportation, court documents show.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2026
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Islamic eschatology warned of a deceiver who distorts perception, blurring reality.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Carl Sagan's baloney detection kit taught us how to separate good science from the work of charlatans.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
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Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
13 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impostor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impostor. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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