charlatan

American  

[shahr-luh-tn] / ˈʃɑr lə tn /

noun

charlatans plural

1. a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than they possess; fraud; quack.

   Synonyms:

   phony, fake, fraud, mountebank, impostor

---

charlatan British  

/ ˈʃɑːlətən /

noun

1. someone who professes knowledge or expertise, esp in medicine, that he or she does not have; quack

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• charlatanism
  noun
• charlatanic
  adjective
• charlatanical
  adjective
• charlatanish
  adjective
• charlatanistic
  adjective
• charlatanically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• charlatans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of charlatan

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French, from Italian ciarlatano, equivalent to ciarla(tore) “chatterer” (derivative of ciarlare “to chatter”; from imitative root) + (cerre)tano “hawker, quack,” literally, “native of Cerreto, ” a village in Umbria, known for its quacks

Explanation

A charlatan is a quack, a person who is trying to deceive you with false claims. Beware of charlatans who try to sell you access to the fountain of youth or to a Ponzi scheme disguised as an exclusive investment fund. A charlatan is one who pretends to possess knowledge he or she lacks. From the 16th century Italian ciarlatano "a quack," the usage of charlatan has not shifted much. Other words for charlatan are impostor, cheat, or pretender. Charlatans are marked by the elaborate schemes they cook up. Russian playwright Anton Chekhov said, "No psychologist should pretend to understand what he does not understand...Only fools and charlatans know everything and understand nothing."

Example Sentences

Kahn’s idea was to breed her to Charlatan, who won the Arkansas Derby and Malibu Stakes for Bob Baffert in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

That same day, Charlatan was DQ’d from his victory in the Arkansas Derby.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2022

The John Gosden-trained colt, owned by Prince Faisal, made his stamina tell over the nine furlongs after the two U.S. heavyweights, Charlatan and Knicks Go, had gone head-to-head in the early stages.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2021

“We wanted to give him a race here. I don’t have him as ready as Charlatan, who is pretty ready.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2020

Henceforth Gissing spent an increasing portion of his time abroad, and it was from St. Honorè en Morvan, for instance, that he dated the preface of Our Friend the Charlatan in 1901.

From The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by Gissing, George

Related Words

• con artist