quackery

American  

[kwak-uh-ree] / ˈkwæk ə ri /

noun

plural

quackeries

1. the practice or methods of a quack.

2. an instance of this.

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quackery British  

/ ˈkwækərɪ /

noun

1. the activities or methods of a quack

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Etymology

Origin of quackery

First recorded in 1700–10; quack ² + -ery

Explanation

Quackery is when someone pretends to have experience or knowledge, especially in the field of medicine. It's quackery when someone poses as a doctor. If a person fakes being a medical doctor, that's quackery. You can also call it quackery when a company sells an herb or supplement or diet aid that doesn't actually do anything. Some doctors feel that any alternative medicine is nothing but quackery, while others believe that some of these things — like meditation or acupuncture — really work for patients. Quackery is from the 1690's, from a Dutch root word, quacksalver, "hawker of salve."

Example Sentences

We were tossing around ideas for a follow-up to "Quackery" in the fall of 2019, and decided on this topic of Patient Zero stories and how epidemics and pandemics unfold.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2022

Some of these procedures in the future will prove to have been true "Quackery."

From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2017

Quackery, magic and hokus-pokus are all too prevalent.

From Time Magazine Archive

J. Cramp, sharp-tongued, ruthless quack-killer and nostrum-chaser for the A. M. A., compiler of the Association's reference book, Nostrums & Quackery.

From Time Magazine Archive

Quackery and the love of being quacked, are in human nature as weeds are in our fields.

From Primitive Psycho-Therapy and Quackery by Lawrence, Robert Means