Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🛑 A forceful person 🛋️ A freeloader
imposer

imposer

7.9
A person who takes advantage of others' kindness without giving anything back
  • noun
  • /ɪmˈpoʊzər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : gorrón
  • She realized too late that inviting him over was a mistake, as he turned out to be an imposer who expected everything for free.

Examples

  • After a week, they realized their houseguest was an imposer who never offered to help or pay for anything.

  • He is such an imposer when it comes to borrowing money.

  • No one likes an imposer who always expects favors but never returns them.

  • She felt taken advantage of by the imposer who stayed for days without contributing.

  • I don't want to be an imposer on your generosity.

  • They soon discovered that their new friend was an imposer who never offered to help with chores around the house.

  • It's frustrating to deal with an imposer; they always take advantage of others' goodwill without giving back.

Synonyms

parasite
vsimposer
  • Offensive
60 5.9

A person who lives off others and gives nothing in return

focuses on taking advantage of kindness or hospitality without explicit personal gain
freeloader
vsimposer
  • Offensive
27 6.1

A person who takes help or gifts without giving anything back

focuses on personal kindness or hospitality rather than broad generosity
moocher
vsimposer
  • Offensive
14 8.3

A person who often gets food or money without paying

covers taking advantage of kindness or hospitality beyond food or money
sponge
vsimposer
  • Offensive
5 7.2

A person who takes others' food or help without giving back

can do this even as a one-time act rather than habitually
like a leech
vsimposer
  • Offensive
1 8.3

Asking people for money and help without giving anything back

describes taking advantage of kindness or hospitality without stressing extreme dependency
taker-backer
vsimposer
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who takes help or credit but does not help others

is about taking advantage of personal kindness or hospitality rather than failing to reciprocate

Antonyms

reciprocator
  • Specialized
7.3

A person who returns a favor or a machine that moves back and forth

How Exploitative

parasite
  • Offensive
60 5.9
user
  • Offensive
19 8.4
freeloader
  • Offensive
27 6.1
imposer
  • Offensive
7.9
moocher
  • Offensive
14 8.3
hanger-on
9 6.8

Surface Forms

imposer singular
imposers plural

Morphology

imposer = impose (semi-transparent) = impose + er

The agentive form is clear, but the specific sense 'takes advantage of someone's kindness' derives from the phrasal/idiomatic use 'impose on', making the exact social meaning less directly predictable.

Etymology

Imposer comes from Latin parts im- ('on') and ponere ('to put'), so an imposer is someone who 'puts' themselves on other people by taking their kindness or help without giving anything back.