charlatan

[shahr-luh-tn]

noun

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

/ ˈʃɑːlətən /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of charlatan¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of charlatan¹

C17: from French, from Italian ciarlatano, from ciarlare to chatter

Example Sentences

The magician Ricky Jay’s compendium of actual “unique, eccentric and amazing entertainers” offers a parade of con artists, charlatans, escapologists, daredevils, mesmerists, contortionists and sideshow acts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Our voice, the voice that's always fought for them is getting drowned out by the carnival of charlatans and the circus of snake oil salesmen."

Read more on BBC

And though it’s much easier now to find books and other media taking a range of perspectives on menopause, it’s also easy to be waylaid by influencers, charlatans and factionalism.

Read more on Salon

Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington called Kennedy a “charlatan,” and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused him of “lying” about his intentions during his confirmation hearing.

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But the next year, Hitler himself declared that all forms of modern art were degenerate and had no place in his Germany, which would not “be befuddled or intimidated” by modernist “charlatans.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• con artist