as in pretender
disapproving
a person who dresses or behaves in a deceptive way that is meant to impress other people
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poseur
The nature of the American political system propagates scads of lawyers and poseurs who blather on endlessly, promising everything and delivering little.
—
Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Nobody made videos in those primitive days, nobody except weird Brit poseurs and art freaks and thirsty postpunk eccentrics, so the network was forced to play them all.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
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
There’s also a conspiracy that catches fire on social media to make Superman look like a poseur.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poseur
Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Nobody made videos in those primitive days, nobody except weird Brit poseurs and art freaks and thirsty postpunk eccentrics, so the network was forced to play them all.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
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
There’s also a conspiracy that catches fire on social media to make Superman look like a poseur.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poseur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poseur
Noun
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Is the team a contender, a pretender or rebuilding?—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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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
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Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year.—
Las Vegas Review-Journal,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
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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
Noun
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Steven Spielberg's dino masterpiece — which has spawned six sequels and countless imitators — ushered in a new wave of CGI filmmaking and became an instant sensation beyond what original author Michael Crichton could ever have envisioned.—
Huntley Woods,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
-
Their clothes inspired imitators.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Savannah continues to ask the public for help locating her missing mother, while an imposter who sent fraudulent ransom demands has been arrested.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
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When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
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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Cybercriminals typically set up copycat sites and promote them on Telegram, Facebook, Discord, Reddit and other online forums, according to a report by Assaf Morag, a researcher at cybersecurity company Flare.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
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Eventually, copycat phones came along that could be used on other networks, and today smartphones are ubiquitous.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
12 June 2026
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
Noun
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Several nights a week, visitors could witness acts like the celebrity impersonator Ceri Dupree (who has performed as Marilyn Monroe, Lady Gaga, and even Queen Camilla) or the all-female vocal trio 3 Tons of Fun, whose standout renditions of Motown hits drew consistent crowds.—
Hannah Giorgis Yohannes,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
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Vegas is full of bachelor parties, drag revues, Elvis impersonators, wedding chapels, showgirls, leather daddies, casino grandmas, and enough sequins to blind Liberace.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poseur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poseur. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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