You describe someone as a charlatan when they pretend to have skills or knowledge that they do not really possess.
[formal, disapproval]
He was exposed as a charlatan.
Synonyms: fraud [informal], cheat, fake, sham More Synonyms of charlatan
charlatan in British English
(ˈʃɑːlətən)
noun
someone who professes knowledge or expertise, esp in medicine, that he or she does not have; quack
Derived forms
charlatanism (ˈcharlatanˌism) or charlatanry (ˈcharlatanry)
noun
charlatanistic (ˌcharlatanˈistic)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from French, from Italian ciarlatano, from ciarlare to chatter
charlatan in American English
(ˈʃɑrlətən)
noun
a person who pretends to have expert knowledge or skill that he or she does not have; fake; mountebank
SIMILAR WORDS: quack
Derived forms
charlatanism (ˈcharlatanˌism)
noun or ˈcharlatanryWord forms: pluralˈcharlatanries
Word origin
Fr < It ciarlatano, a quack < cerretano, one who cries out in the market place < VL cerretanus, seller of papal indulgences at Cerreto, town in Italy: infl. by It ciarlare, to prate
Examples of 'charlatan' in a sentence
charlatan
Her father always claimed he was a charlatan and quietly mocked Cotterell's supercilious air and ostentatious dress.
Grace, C.L A SHRINE OF MURDERS (2002)
`It's always distressing,' he said, `to find that one of one's most valued colleagues is, in fact, a charlatan.
Robert Wilson THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS (2002)
(noun)
Definition
a person who claims expertise that he or she does not have
This so-called psychic was exposed as a charlatan.
Synonyms
fraud (informal)
He believes many psychics are frauds.
cheat
He's nothing but a rotten cheat.
fake
She denied claims that she is a fake.
sham
Their promises were exposed as a hollow sham.
pretender
quack
The man was a quack after all, just as Rosalinda had warned.
conman or woman (informal)
con artist (informal)
impostor
He was an impostor who masqueraded as a doctor.
fraudster
swindler
Swindlers have cheated investors out of £12 million.
mountebank
grifter (slang, mainly US, Canadian)
phoney or phony (informal)
rorter (Australian, slang)
rogue trader
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cheat
Definition
a person who cheats
He's nothing but a rotten cheat.
Synonyms
deceiver,
sharper,
cheater,
shark,
charlatan,
trickster,
conman or woman (informal),
con artist (informal),
impostor,
fraudster,
double-crosser (informal),
swindler,
grifter (slang, US, Canadian),
rorter (Australian, slang),
chiseller (informal),
rogue,
dodger,
knave (archaic),
rogue trader
in the sense of fake
Definition
an object, person, or act that is not genuine
She denied claims that she is a fake.
Synonyms
charlatan,
deceiver,
sham,
quack,
mountebank,
phoney or phony (informal)
in the sense of impostor
Definition
a person who cheats or swindles by pretending to be someone else