imposture

Synonym Chooser

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

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

When is counterfeit a more appropriate choice than imposture?

While in some cases nearly identical to imposture, counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When would fake be a good substitute for imposture?

The meanings of fake and imposture largely overlap; however, 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

Where would fraud be a reasonable alternative to imposture?

While the synonyms fraud and imposture are close in meaning, fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When is it sensible to use humbug instead of imposture?

In some situations, the words humbug and imposture are roughly equivalent. However, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When can sham be used instead of imposture?

The synonyms sham and imposture are sometimes interchangeable, but sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for imposture
Noun
  • Interestingly, men, not women, were more open to benevolent deception.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The movie, with Baranov as its scoundrel tour guide, works its way through some of 21st century Russia’s greatest hits of deception.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The scenic appeal is undeniable, nature’s majestic prose both frames and dwarfs the tumultuous affectations of the characters.
    Holly Jones, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
  • As a director, Serio has made a name for himself with these kinds of actor-forward, hyperintimate, hyperreal stagings — Uncle Vanya in a loft — and this is a case where minimalism comes across as an affectation.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Fakery that is part of the story, and fakery added on by real life.
    Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The fakery made the effects of the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 significantly worse in Greece.
    Luciana Lopez, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Sleep-mimicking anesthetics, like Dex, don’t produce a perfect imitation.
    RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The Residences’ partners insisted wood be wood, leather be leather, and plastic should never be a faux substitute because the ultra rich instantly spot imitations.
    Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Yet, this theory has continued for years—centuries, in fact—to give rise to a wide range of colonic quackery.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • That is how CrossFit die-hards who dabble in Qanon quackery and blame wildfires on space lasers end up as the face of the House GOP.
    Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • There are no sections that go entirely unloved by our staff, but some favorites include literary fiction, cookbooks, sci fi and fantasy and all things kids' books.
    American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Such subtlety may not necessarily be what readers—perhaps American readers, in particular—expect from political fiction, which can have a reputation for being didactic and heavy-handed, designed to beat readers over the head, as if anything political were made in the mode of Soviet realism.
    Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The exceptions are Art Malik, who makes Claudius’ duplicity believable, and Sheeba Chadha, who is wrenching when Gertrude becomes remorseful.
    Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Such duplicity has been a constant feature of the second Trump administration, characterized by the abusive treatment of undocumented immigrants and the militarization of municipal law enforcement in our nation’s major cities.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • But not everyone accepts that pretense.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
  • But the Jiménezes’ work does not carry the pretense of purity.
    Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Imposture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imposture. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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