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charlatan — meaning in English

French → English · translate English → French instead

English meaning

  • charlatan noun A person who pretends to have skill or knowledge they don't actually have, usually to trick people out of money.
  • fraud noun The crime of deceiving someone to gain money or an unfair advantage.
  • quack noun The harsh, honking sound a duck makes.
  • quacksalver noun One falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills, especially one who dispenses potions, ointments, etc., supposedly having curative powers; a quack.

Senses

charlatan is used for these senses in English:

  • charlatan A malicious trickster; a fake person, especially one who deceives for personal profit.
  • fraud A person who performs any such trick.
  • quacksalver (archaic) One falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills, especially one who dispenses potions, ointments, etc., supposedly having curative powers; a quack. [from c. 1570]
  • wheeler-dealer (informal) A shrewd political or commercial schemer, especially one who is unscrupulous; a hustler; a shady operator.

fraud — full definition

  1. noun The crime of deceiving someone to gain money or an unfair advantage.
  2. noun A person who pretends to be something they are not.

Related French words