Dictionary

charlatan en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈʃɑɹlətən/ (General-American)
• /ˈʃɑːlətən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Canada) audio

Etymology

From Middle French charlatan, from Old Italian ciarlatano (“quack”), a blend of ciarlatore (“chatterer”) + cerretano (“hawker, quack”, literally “native of Cerreto”) (Cerreto di Spoleto being a village in Umbria, known for its quacks).

Meanings

1. (obsolete) A mountebank, someone who addresses crowds in the street; (especially), an itinerant seller of medicines or drugs.
   • The poor foreigner, more dead than alive, answered that he was an Italian charlatan, who had practised with some reputation in Padua […]. 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:
2. A malicious trickster; a fake person, especially one who deceives for personal profit.
   • “If there’s something you don’t understand,” urged Dr. Breed, “ask Dr. Horvath to explain it. He’s very good at explaining.” He turned to me. “Dr. Hoenikker used to say that any scientist who couldn’t explain to an eight-year-old what he was doing was a charlatan.” “Then I’m dumber than an eight-year-old,” Miss Pefko mourned. “I don’t even know what a charlatan is.” 1963 March 18, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., chapter 15, in Cat’s Cradle:
   • That this disgraceful charlatan holds one of the great offices of state in this country should be a source of constant shame and embarrassment to the Prime Minister. 2018 June, Ian Murray, The Independent:

Forms

Deriveds

charlatanical · charlatanship · charlatanic

Relateds

charlatanry · charlatanism

Synonyms

losenger · crammer · Scandaroon · rook · treacher · Spanish athlete · bouncer · falser · swike · trickster · fabricator · trickster · bullshitter · trucker · cheat · deceptor · deceiver · cony-catcher · wernard · shammer · liar · gabber · bamboozler · cogger · cheater · scammer · guiler · swindler · mocker · pseudologist · grifter · swindler · fabulist

Translations (53)

id penipu (malicious trickster) · fi puoskari (malicious trickster) · fy sjarlatan (malicious trickster) · bg шарлата́нин (malicious trickster) · la magus (malicious trickster) · hi ढोंगी (malicious trickster) · pl szarlatan (malicious trickster) · ko 허풍선이 (malicious trickster) · ko 사기꾼 (malicious trickster) · ja 薮医者 (malicious trickster) · eo ĉarlatano (malicious trickster) · hi कपटी (malicious trickster) · hy ընդվայրաբան (malicious trickster) · ko 돌팔이 (malicious trickster) · da fupmager (malicious trickster) · el αγύρτης (malicious trickster) · de Scharlatan (malicious trickster) · es charlatán (malicious trickster) · cmn 騙子 /骗子 (malicious trickster) · da svindler (malicious trickster) · oc charlatan (malicious trickster) · cs šarlatán (malicious trickster) · id dukun (malicious trickster) · ar دَجَّال (malicious trickster) · hu sarlatán (malicious trickster) · grc ὀχλαγωγός (malicious trickster) · hu vajákos (malicious trickster) · it ciarlatano (malicious trickster) · uk дури́світ (malicious trickster) · nb sjarlatan (malicious trickster) · nn sjarlatan (malicious trickster) · nl charlatan (malicious trickster) · pl szarlatanka (malicious trickster) · gcf chalatan (malicious trickster) · fi huijari (malicious trickster) · fr charlatan (malicious trickster) · tr şarlatan (malicious trickster) · da snydepels (malicious trickster) · fa شارلاتان (malicious trickster) · da charlatan (malicious trickster) · mi tohunga kēhua (malicious trickster) · gl charlatán (malicious trickster) · hy շառլատան (malicious trickster) · ca xarlatà (malicious trickster) · pt charlatão (malicious trickster) · ru шарлата́н (malicious trickster) · da platugle (malicious trickster) · cmn 庸醫 /庸医 (malicious trickster) · hu kuruzsló (malicious trickster) · ru шарлата́нка (malicious trickster) · he שרלטן (malicious trickster) · uk пройди́світ (malicious trickster) · da fidusmager (malicious trickster)