Charlatan
A person who pretends to have knowledge or skill they do not possess; a fraud or faker.
nounCharlatan
A person who pretends to have knowledge or skill they do not possess; a fraud or faker.
nounImagine This
A film director needs a character who speaks Latin. Martin applies for that character role, but the director refuses to accept him, saying, 'You impostor! You can't speak Latin at all! I need a Latin-speaking character!'
Sounds Like
CHAR-luh-tan
Looks Like
charlatan
Remember This
Charlatan often refers to someone who uses charm and deception to sell fake expertise or remedies. The term historically connects to mountebanks who boasted expertise to gull customers.
Other Forms
Connect With
fraud, impostor, phony, fake, sham, quack
Note
Do not confuse with impostor; a charlatan deceives with claimed skill or knowledge, not just identity. The term usually implies fraudulent expertise or medical/professional claims.
Study Deeper
- The supposed 'miracle cure' turned out to be the work of a charlatan selling useless products.
- Investors were wary after uncovering a charlatan who claimed to have insider tech stocks.
From Italian ciarlatano meaning 'mountebank, quack,' borrowed into French and English. The Italian word is probably from ciarlare 'to chatter'.
Think of CHARLatAN as a CHARMer who LIARs; a charming liar is a charlatan.
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Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).