mountebank
2
9.9
- noun
- /ˈmaʊntəˌbæŋk/
- Offensive
- unction of a mountebank
- mountebanks and charlatans
Examples
-
Also, the mountebanks who are to perform before the queen tonight are here.
-
There is no countenancing the election of a confirmed mountebank as president.
Blog text (7) -
Don Pedro will take care of that mountebank.
-
Search the countryside for those mountebanks, and don't come back here without all four!
-
Peddlers, mountebanks, and wandering priests carried the news out of the gates into the fields.
Fiction book (2000) -
Mountebanks employ juggling and musty relics—counterfeit miracles.
Fiction book (1991) -
The mountebank dazzled the crowd with his tricks but offered no real knowledge about his potions.
-
At the fair, a mountebank displayed his skills, promising miraculous cures that were merely scams.
-
Beware of the mountebank who claims he can solve all your problems with a few simple tricks.
Synonyms
160
4.4
A person who pretends to be something they are not to trick others
50
5.1
A person who pretends to be someone else to trick people
38
8.6
A person who says they have special skills to trick people
7
7.4
A person who lies about their job or skills to trick people
4
7.0
A person who pretends to have skills or knowledge they do not have
4
6.7
A person who tricks people into believing something false for fun or attention
1
9.9
A person who acts important but is not powerful or skilled
1
8.9
A person who hides their real skill to win unfairly in contests
A person who tricks others using clever talk to take their money
Antonyms
How Deceptive
15
5.4
40
4.8
- Offensive
38
8.6
- Offensive
2
9.9
20
6.0
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word mountebank comes from the old idea of a showman who would mount a 'bank', that is a 'bench' or 'table', to sell fake cures and tricks. So, a mountebank is someone who uses show and false claims to fool people by pretending to have special skills.