con artist

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a person adept at lying, cajolery, or glib self-serving talk.

2. a person adept at swindling by means of confidence games; swindler.

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Usage

What does con artist mean? A con artist is a person who cheats people out of something (usually money or other valuables) through some kind of deceitful scheme. More generally, the term is used to refer to someone who’s good at deceiving people for their own gain.In con artist, the word con is short for confidence, a reference to how they gain their victims’ trust in order to cheat them. The same term is used in con man (a male con artist). The word artist in this context simply refers to a person who is skillful (in this case, at trickery and deception).Example: I can’t believe how many people are falling for this guy’s tricks—he’s clearly a con artist who’s going to cheat and pocket all the money.

Example Sentences

Along the way, she forges an unexpected partnership with Nick, a solitary fox whose past as a con artist proves to be a valuable asset in uniform.

From Barron's

Rising inflation makes con artists jump for joy because they know frightened investors are more likely to fall for scams involving gold, cryptocurrencies, foreign currencies or fake investment opportunities.

From Washington Post

The FTC says con artists know people are very vulnerable and emotional because of the pandemic, and that this may lead some potential victims to lower the guard.

From Los Angeles Times

Hushpuppi, who she said "played a significant role" in the scam, "funded his luxurious lifestyle by laundering illicit proceeds generated by con artists".

From BBC

The "Montero" video is a masterpiece of provocation praised by historians for its shrewd incorporation of Renaissance-style religious iconography to condemn homophobia, immediately triggering Christian conservatives and grandstanding right-wing con artists like Candace Owens.

From Salon

Related Words

• con man
• crook
• hustler
• swindler