swindler

American  

[swind-ler] / ˈswɪnd lər /

noun

1. a person who cheats or defrauds others.

   The swindler Charles Ponzi became infamous for the money scheme that was later named after him.

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Etymology

Origin of swindler

First recorded in 1765–75; from German Schwindler “irresponsible person, promoter of wildcat schemes, cheat,” derivative of schwindeln “to be dizzy (hence be dizzy-minded, be irresponsible), defraud,” equivalent to schwind- (cognate with Old English swindan “to languish”) + -(e)l- + -er; -le, -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

He is a swindler, a snob and a savage misanthrope.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Orgon, a wealthy bourgeois who has taken a much younger second wife, signs over his soul to Tartuffe, a lecherous swindler who poses as a saint while pursuing a diabolical agenda.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

Baldy, as she was often referred to — and she was a swindler.

From Washington Post • Mar. 26, 2022

Ponzi schemes are named after a notorious swindler from the 1920s, but versions of the scam date back to at least the mid-1800s.

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2021

And if you held any sympathetic feelings for this greedy, sweaty-jowled, incompetent swindler, then abandon them here.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• charlatan
• cheater
• con artist
• counterfeiter
• crook
• forger
• rascal
• thief