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GRE vocabulary

charlatan

nounHigh-frequency wordMore C words

a person who falsely claims to have special skill or knowledge

Word origin: From French charlatan, via Italian ciarlatano, a babbling seller of remedies.

In a sentence

Charlatan in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing charlatan in a sentence.

The so-called healer was exposed as a charlatan peddling useless tonics.

The so-called doctor was exposed as a charlatan with no medical training whatsoever.

Synonyms
Antonyms
expertauthority
Usage & nuance

Using “charlatan” well

A charlatan falsely claims expertise to deceive others, especially for profit. The word emphasizes fraudulent pretense of skill.

Common questions

Questions about “charlatan

Charlatan (noun) means a person who falsely claims to have special skill or knowledge
Here is charlatan used in an example sentence: "The so-called healer was exposed as a charlatan peddling useless tonics." Another example: "The so-called doctor was exposed as a charlatan with no medical training whatsoever."
Common synonyms for charlatan include fraud, quack, impostor, mountebank.
Antonyms of charlatan include expert, authority.
Charlatan pairs with fraud, quack, impostor, and mountebank. Its antonyms expert and authority mark the genuine-skill answers in Sentence Equivalence.
Yes. Charlatan is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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