variants
or imposter
as in pretender
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the man who claimed to be a prince turned out to be an impostor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impostor
Mike Hawkins Adelaide Tovar, a University of Michigan scientist who researches genes related to diabetes, used to feel like an impostor in a laboratory.
—
Brett Kelman, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025
Keep An ‘Evidence Folder’ There’s a difference between feeling like an impostor and being one.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Zoom out: Nationally, investment and impostor scams took the biggest financial tolls last year, the FTC says, with consumers losing $5.7 billion and nearly $3 billion to each, respectively.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025
Legitimate candidates face tougher hurdles while impostors glide through.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor
Brett Kelman, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025
Keep An ‘Evidence Folder’ There’s a difference between feeling like an impostor and being one.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Zoom out: Nationally, investment and impostor scams took the biggest financial tolls last year, the FTC says, with consumers losing $5.7 billion and nearly $3 billion to each, respectively.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025
Legitimate candidates face tougher hurdles while impostors glide through.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impostor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impostor
Noun
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But for those trying to fill out their brackets this week, here are the Big Ten’s contenders and pretenders heading into March Madness.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2025
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That’s where discipline separates professionals from pretenders.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
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Death at the hands of charlatans is not an inspiring storyline, which means publishers and film studios studiously avoid it.—
Alan Levinovitz,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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Trying to keep the population safe from a novel infectious disease, battling to understand the virus, but also navigating people's suspicion of vaccines and science, and their desire to use bleach and ivermectin, egged on by charlatans.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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People will either fall for fakes—or doubt the truth.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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When the computer was seized, in November, creating digital fakes was not yet considered a crime.—
Tiffany Hsu,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Scottish actor Alan Cumming will also be returning to host Season 4, Peacock confirmed.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Lead actor Nikhil Siddhartha took to X to address the incident and confirm the safety of all cast and crew members.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 June 2025
Noun
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With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
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Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
26 July 2024
Noun
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Tell that to the kids who have been hospitalized and died from measles, following quack Dr. Bobby’s Rx to avoid the shots.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
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The Spare Room by Helen Garner This is a book about a woman, Helen, who decides to let her old friend, Nicola, who is dying of cancer, come and stay with her in Melbourne while Nicola sees a local quack doctor.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
21 May 2025
Noun
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For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.—
Rachel Syme,
The New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2024
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The answer is important because being a phony is hard work.—
LaRae Quy,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The slashing of the benefits of medical care, food and other assistance to low-income families in this bill goes so far beyond even the most exaggerated claim of fraud, waste and abuse as to be cynically and sadistically abusive.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2025
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Meanwhile, in the UK, SIM swap fraud surged by over 1,000% in 2024.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impostor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impostor. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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