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
-
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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Then give the land back, you pompous charlatans.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
2 May 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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One of the more direct imitators of the SpaceX model is Blue Origin.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2026
-
Three Things That Define the Category Understanding what distinguishes a genuine moonshot company matters more now that the category has attracted imitators — organizations that have adopted the language of transformation without the underlying architecture.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
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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
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These scams often include government impostors, direct deposit fraud, phishing, identity theft, payment redirection and social media scams.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 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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In a copycat Ghostface killing spree, Nancy and Mickey target two of the Woodsboro survivors (Billy's former girlfriend, Sidney, and author Gale Weathers) and torment them in Ohio.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
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The founder of the Indigenous Nations Apparel Company claims that Shein knocked off 20 of its designs and allegedly used its own imagery to sell the copycat goods.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
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
Noun
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The event aims to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of Monroe impersonators, with organizers hoping to attract 500 volunteers.—
Staff Photographer,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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Matthew Lopez’s popular comedy about a struggling Elvis impersonator who becomes a sensation as a country singer in drag clubs is the final show of Westport Country Playhouse’s season.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poseur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poseur. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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