impostor Hear it!

impostor Definition

im·pos·tor (im päs′tər)

noun

a person who deceives or cheats others, esp. by pretending to be someone or something that he or she is not

Etymology: Fr imposteur < LL impostor < pp. of L imponere: see impose

impostor Synonyms

impostor

n.

pretender, charlatan, quack, fraud, impersonator, masquerader, mountebank, deceiver, dissembler, sham, hypocrite, fake*, faker*, phony*, sharper*, con artist*; see also cheat 1, hypocrite. See syn. study at quack.

impostor Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • mere: The rest of us are mere impostors, unworthy heirs, failed sons.
  • second: After the death of this second impostor, Marina dies in prison.

Converse of object

  • treat: A true skeptic will look at both sides of an argument and treat those two impostors just the same.
  • find: You can find the impostor in the middle left corner of the area behind a large metal wall.
  • reject: The accuracy of a biometric system could be defined as its combined ability to reject impostors and accept valid users.
  • see: It would seen this impostor has been responsible for all these terrible things while I was held captive.

Converse of subject

replace: On the way, this man is replaced by an impostor named Gilbert.