charlatan

[shahr-luh-tn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR charlatan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack.

Nearby words

Origin of charlatan

1595–1605; < Middle French < 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

Related formschar·la·tan·ic

[shahr-luh-tan-ik] /ˌʃɑr ləˈtæn ɪk/, char·la·tan·i·cal, char·la·tan·ish, char·la·tan·is·tic, adjectivechar·la·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms for charlatan

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR charlatan ON THESAURUS.COM

impostor, mountebank, fraud, fake, phony.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for charlatan

Read a cautionary tale about the seductive and dangerous power of a charlatan sociopath, featuring goats and the American Dream.
The Strange, True Tale of the Old-Timey Goat Testicle-Implanting 'Governor'|Penny Lane|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Charlatan is an unfair word,” Kennedy opined, but “he did an awful lot for effect.
Jackie O’s Dark Side|Eleanor Clift|September 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And the gratitude I get is this charlatan chose not to do his job, which is to write.
Charlie Sheen's 10 Worst Quotes, from Anti-Semitism to Alcoholism|The Daily Beast|February 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In our shock at the way things have turned out, we wonder if there is anyone left in charge who's not a charlatan or a fool.
Laughter in the Dark|Tina Brown|February 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST

He is not a charlatan, for though he is ignorant, he is honest.
Ephemera Critica|John Churton Collins
What had they in common with this charlatan who treated the abominable teachings of Walt Whitman symphonically?
Melomaniacs|James Huneker
"You're excited, Boy-ee," said the charlatan with haggard forbearance.
The Clarion|Samuel Hopkins Adams
Even a charlatan can be good alone; an apostate can be wise alone; a fool can be pious alone.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
This writer, who was possessed of undoubted talent, was also an adventurer and charlatan of the first order.
Herbals, Their Origin and Evolution|Agnes Arber

British Dictionary definitions for charlatan

charlatan

noun

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

Derived Formscharlatanism or charlatanry, nouncharlatanistic, adjective

Word Origin for charlatan

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for charlatan

1610s, from French charlatan "mountebank, babbler" (16c.), from Italian ciarlatano "a quack," from ciarlare "to prate, babble," from ciarla "chat, prattle," perhaps imitative of ducks' quacking. Related: Charlatanism; charlatanical; charlatanry.

Medicine definitions for charlatan

charlatan

[shär′lə-tən]

n.

A person fraudulently claiming knowledge and skills not possessed.

charlatan

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of charlatan

Synonyms for charlatan

Examples from the Web for charlatan

charlatan

noun

Word Origin for charlatan

charlatan

n.