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poseur

noun

Definition of poseurnext
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

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 poseur Citing casual cultural interests risked being exposed as a poseur. — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 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 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
  1. pretender
  2. charlatan
  3. imitator
  4. impostor
  5. faker
  6. copycat
  7. mountebank
  8. impersonator
Noun
  • The transfer portal can transform a contender into a pretender in a single offseason.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The schedule is forgivable, even by ACC standards, but a rematch on the road against Notre Dame will separate the Canes as contenders or pretenders.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of pretender
Noun
  • Their actions, goals, and promises mimic that of a charlatan.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Ours is not a society that loathes charlatans; look who’s running things.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of charlatan
Noun
  • Few people on the continent seem to recognize that multibillion investments by US companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Amazon in space, and their many imitators in China, are radically transforming spaceflight.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026
  • An exemplary script and dashes of stylish direction set this ’90s favorite apart from myriad Tarantino imitators.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of imitator
Noun
  • For the imposter, success brings only temporary relief, while failure is a revelation.
    — Sandro da Silva, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Few imposters have been quite as easy to spot as Terran Empire Spock, however, whose trademark goatee is something of a giveaway.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of impostor
Noun
  • 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
Definition of faker
Noun
  • Foreign adversaries, Klein says, are accessing Anthropic’s Claude models — a process known as distillation — to train competing technology and sell copycat versions at a lower price.
    — Kate Rooney,Paige Tortorelli, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The show was a phenomenon that continues to inspire copycats and parodies; Hansen emerged as an icon for some, and a meme for others.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of copycat
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of mountebank
Noun
  • In it, Simpson pulled pranks on strangers dressed as a Ford Bronco salesman, a durag-wearing rapper, a pizza delivery man, an Elvis Presley impersonator and an elderly, white man.
    — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • At all times the person is a gender impersonator not a transgender.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of impersonator

Browse Nearby Words

poses (as)
poseur
poseurs
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Cite this Entry

“Poseur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poseur. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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