charlatan
/ˈʃɑːlət(ə)n
/noun
A person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill: a self-confessed con artist and charlatan...
- Take the case of the charlatan who claims to transmit thoughts at a distance.
- I'm either a liar, a cheat, and a charlatan, or I'm crazy, and I have these weird visions that are purely from my imagination.
- They are all a bunch of charlatans and confidence men.
Synonyms
quack, mountebank, sham, fraud, fake, humbug, impostor, pretender, masquerader, hoodwinker, hoaxer, cheat, deceiver, dissembler, double-dealer, double-crosser, trickster, confidence trickster, cheater, swindler, fraudster, racketeer;
rogue, villain, scoundrel
informal phoney, sharper, sharp, shark, conman, con artist, hustler, flimflammer, flimflam man
British informal twister
North American informal grifter, bunco artist, gold brick, chiseller
Australian informal shicer, magsman, illywhacker
South African informal schlenter
dated confidence man/woman
rare defalcator, tregetour
Derivatives
charlatanism
/ noun ...- I have been accused of perfidy, malingering, duplicity, charlatanism and forty other words that I don't know the meaning of.
- His tastes are certainly catholic, taking in performances less open-minded pundits might dismiss as charlatanism.
- His mixture of naiveté, charlatanism, and singular devotion to a unique vision make him a genuine frontier spirit, a real-life American folk hero for the '80s, and a precious natural resource.
charlatanry
- Among the charlatanry, however, are authentic Aboriginal art and jewellery as well as every kind of food stall, from traditional Australian meat pies through to fiery bowls of Malaysian laksa.
- Some of the handiwork of this charlatanry is now manifest to everyone.
- Their patronising, cliquish self-regard has repeatedly been exposed as charlatanry.
Origin
Early 17th century (denoting an itinerant seller of supposed remedies): from French, from Italian ciarlatano, from ciarlare 'to babble'.
This word first appeared in English, in the early 17th century, as a term for a fast-talking seller of quack remedies. It comes via French from Italian ciarlatano, from the verb ciarlare ‘to babble’.