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

As a young mother, she rejected traditional medicine in favor of homeopathy, then thought to be a form of quackery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

That leads into Colorado’s second justification—that conversion therapy does indeed contravene the standard of care by subjecting minors to “discredited” quackery far more likely to harm than help.

From Slate • Oct. 7, 2025

Though most of the action takes place a decade or more ago in another hemisphere, its themes of medical quackery, alternative facts and social-media echo chambers are more relevant than ever in 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

MMT died a quicker death in the public square than its predecessors in quackery, or so it seemed.

From Washington Post • Nov. 8, 2022

His nutritional quackery even led him to monitor her regularity like a doctor, and some of their biggest fights came as a result of his interrogating Lina about her stools.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides