noun
charlatan
SHAH-luh-tuhn
noun
1
A person who pretends to have skill or knowledge they don't actually have, usually to trick people out of money.
"The so-called healer turned out to be a charlatan selling sugar pills as medicine."
"Investors lost their savings trusting a charlatan who claimed to have a foolproof trading system."
How to Use Charlatan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA fraud who fakes expertise to fool people, especially in medicine, business, or "expert" advice.
Common mistake
Stronger and more deliberate than "amateur" — a charlatan isn't just unskilled, they are actively deceiving people.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
expose a charlatan
a self-proclaimed charlatan
quack and charlatan
Word Forms
charlatans plural
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The so-called healer turned out to be a _____ selling sugar pills as medicine.
Etymology
From French charlatan, borrowed from Italian ciarlatano, blending "ciarlare" (to chatter) with "cerretano" (a hawker from the town of Cerreto, once known for its traveling quack doctors).