imposture

[im-pos-cher]

See more synonyms for imposture on Thesaurus.com

noun

the action or practice of imposing fraudulently upon others.
deception using an assumed character, identity, or name, as by an impostor.
an instance or piece of fraudulent imposition.

Origin of imposture

1530–40; < Late Latin impostūra, equivalent to Latin impost(us) past participle of impōnere (see impostor, impone) + -ūra -ure

Related formsim·pos·trous

[im-pos-truhs] /ɪmˈpɒs trəs/, im·pos·tur·ous, adjective

Synonyms for imposture

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3. fraud, hoax, swindle, deception, humbug, cheat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for imposture

stratagem, cheat, sleight, artifice, hoax, pretension, imitation, fake, wile, sell, impersonation, deception, imposition, ploy, forgery, quackery, counterfeit, illusion, sham, maneuver

Examples from the Web for imposture

Contemporary Examples of imposture

Even after the imposture was revealed, however, Taliban leaders remained positive that that their trick could still work.
Afghanistan: The Taliban Plot to Assassinate Karzai
Sami Yousafzai
December 8, 2012

Historical Examples of imposture

If the world chose to esteem him, he did not buy its opinion by imposture.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Satisfied, now, that there was imposture, he resolved to ferret it out.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 2 August 1848
Various
I need only say that the secret of my imposture defied detection.
The Prisoner of Zenda
Anthony Hope
Where he was now he seemed to be not so much a fallen tyrant as a silly sham and an imposture.
The Scapegoat
Hall Caine
It—it—seems, monsieur, that—ah—that I have been the victim of some imposture.
St. Martin's Summer
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for imposture

imposture

noun

the act or an instance of deceiving others, esp by assuming a false identity

Derived Formsimpostrous (ɪmˈpɒstrəs), impostorous (ɪmˈpɒstərəs) or imposturous, adjective

Word Origin for imposture

C16: from French, from Late Latin impostūra, from Latin impōnere; see impose

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 imposture

"act of willfully deceiving others," 1530s, from Middle French imposture, from Late Latin impostura, from impostus (see impost).