poseurs

noun

plural of poseur
as in charlatans
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 poseurs At the party backstage, one of the local opening acts was having a food fight with the poseurs and celebrity curiosity seekers. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 In place of San Francisco’s decaying arts bohemia of poseurs and charlatans, they can be said to be creating an alternate bohemia. — Michael Bernick, Forbes.com, 22 July 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poseurs
  1. charlatans
  2. pretenders
  3. copycats
  4. fakers
  5. imitators
  6. impostors
  7. mountebanks
  8. phonies
Noun
  • Despite the claims of any number of charlatans who prey on the American brand of cuddly benighted ignorance, the universe will not manifest an alternate reality for anyone who simply wishes for it with sufficient longing.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Ours is not a society that loathes charlatans; look who’s running things.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of charlatans
Noun
  • Next Generation premiered in September 1987, two months after Stewart’s 47th birthday, and initially struggled to catch on with Star Trek fans, many of whom considered the new cast to be pretenders to the throne.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 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 pretenders
Noun
  • Kasahara established and sold about 30 shops over the years, and copycats began copycatting.
    — Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026
  • More comparisons show up in an Allrecipes roundup of Aldi copycats, which flags Clancy’s Original Potato Chips as an alternative to Lay’s and Choceur Peanut Butter Cups as a stand-in for Reese’s.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of copycats
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 fakers
Noun
  • Under Shanken’sleadership, Wine Spectator spawned a handful of imitators, but not a single one could hold a candle to the magazine’s style, influence, or reach.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Dee Brock created the phenomenon that went on to add billions in value to the NFL franchise and spawn imitators.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of imitators
Noun
  • So set the faux plants down, back away slowly, and get ready to leave these plastic greenery imposters firmly in the past.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In this scam, imposters send you an email or text, pretending to be your hotel.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of impostors
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
Definition of mountebanks
Noun
  • Just as Moby-Dick is canonically about whales, Catcher is canonically about phonies.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • At Dodger Stadium at the end of April, Crow-Amstrong also had to deal with the consequences of his actions — ripping Los Angeles Dodgers fans for being phonies in a Chicago magazine article that went viral.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Definition of phonies

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Cite this Entry

“Poseurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poseurs. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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