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

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 imposture The entire texture of that life, its willed imposture. Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025 Body Double Long before the imposture of Anna Delvey, the Tichborne Claimaint swept a nation’s imagination. JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 Because such people are both brand-conscious and unable to detect the real thing, Miss Manners would be inclined to let the imposture pass. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023 This imposture cows the enemy, but Hector slays Patroclus anyway, sealing everyone’s fate. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 The print revolution’s past and future, valuing an empire’s impact, a saga of inheritance and imposture from Zadie Smith, and more. Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2023 Buy Now: Desertion on Bookshop | Amazon The Fraud, Zadie Smith (Sept. 5) Zadie Smith’s sixth novel—and first historical one—is inspired by the Tichborne Trial, a controversial case of imposture that divided Victorian England. Shannon Carlin, Time, 23 Aug. 2023 The narrator is an antihero with a genius for imposture. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 By the end, this newly bold Portia, empowered by imposture, is more singer than speaker. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imposture
Noun
  • Through shocking testimonies from government insiders, confidential documents, and private audio recordings from the highest level of the military, BODYGUARD OF LIES exposes the tangled web of deception fed to the American public by the U.S. government during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 May 2025
  • Mauriello, a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, said in his experience, people's sympathetic nervous system could be activated by a host of reasons — beyond deception.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Ivy-as-Marilyn is an inconsiderate, amphetamine guzzling faux-intellectual whose devotion to the acting craft is presented as a vainglorious affectation.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The interaction between Briony and Jamie starts off amiably, with Jamie needling Briony for her posh affectations.
    Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Becca’s disintegration emphasizes the parts of her that endure; the avatar, on the other hand, is a parody of that real flesh, an uncanny and malevolent imitation.
    Alexandra Kleeman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The domesticity that Bix and Cass get to experience here is a cruelly poor imitation.
    Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • But the thought of a person who spreads the kind of dishonesty, quackery and junk science that Kennedy habitually does — especially about our precious kiddos — is nothing short of stomach churning.
    S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • In this fiction, the Crusades were not waged against Moors, but against elves – a race said to devour the flesh of humans, among other atrocities that are neither confirmed nor denied by the end of the story.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • And the contemporary women’s fiction category, where Reid is often listed, ended 2024 with a nearly 30% increase in sales over 2019 numbers, according to analyst Kristen McLean.
    Lucy Feldman, Time, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • And some saw duplicity in Holden’s efforts since the councilman had fought so vigorously to restrict liquor licenses in South L.A. after the 1992 riots.
    Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
  • The publication, known for its close ties to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, framed the talks as yet another round of predictable Western duplicity.
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In the source material, Dina’s pregnancy is used as an excuse to leave her behind in the theatre, pitting players as Ellie alone, who can set aside any pretenses of the journey being anything more than a revenge mission without her partner’s safety to worry about.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2025
  • Republicans who fall for this scheme are abandoning any pretense of free-market principles.
    Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Noun
  • The author makes no representation and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information contained in this article.
    William Jones, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • The Newhouse family will continue as shareholders in the combined entity and have board representation.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Imposture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imposture. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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