poseur

noun

Definition of poseurnext
as in pretender
disapproving a person who dresses or behaves in a deceptive way that is meant to impress other people

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of poseur The nature of the American political system propagates scads of lawyers and poseurs who blather on endlessly, promising everything and delivering little. — Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026 Nobody made videos in those primitive days, nobody except weird Brit poseurs and art freaks and thirsty postpunk eccentrics, so the network was forced to play them all. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025 Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2025 There’s also a conspiracy that catches fire on social media to make Superman look like a poseur. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for poseur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poseur
  1. pretender
  2. charlatan
  3. imitator
  4. impostor
  5. faker
  6. copycat
  7. mountebank
  8. impersonator
Noun
  • The transfer portal can transform a contender into a pretender in a single offseason.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The schedule is forgivable, even by ACC standards, but a rematch on the road against Notre Dame will separate the Canes as contenders or pretenders.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of pretender
Noun
  • Their actions, goals, and promises mimic that of a charlatan.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Ours is not a society that loathes charlatans; look who’s running things.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of charlatan
Noun
  • No wonder More had so many imitators, who set about busily redrawing their own maps of the world.
    — Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That’s because success begets imitators eager to compete away profits.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of imitator
Noun
  • Few imposters have been quite as easy to spot as Terran Empire Spock, however, whose trademark goatee is something of a giveaway.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • This is fairly confusing, since Izzy and Zach tie with four points apiece and Oscar gets two points – which doesn’t reflect either the imposter voting that round or the voting throughout the game.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of impostor
Noun
  • To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.
    — Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of faker
Noun
  • But when similar slayings begin to occur years later, Pete and his ambitious young colleague, Detective Amanda Beck, must figure out whether Carter had an accomplice that got away, or if the murders are merely the work of a copycat.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • No, a pumpkin spice latte copycat doesn’t technically require real pumpkin.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of copycat
Noun
  • Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.
    — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of mountebank
Noun
  • In the photo, Parton impersonator Kelly Vohnn is seen in true Parton fashion, donned up in all the glitz and glamour fit for the star, wearing a white dress with shoulder pads covered in rhinestones, and sporting a small rhinestone waist belt.
    — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026
  • After Parton died at age 80 on Tuesday, that night’s episode of Laura Coates Live featured a photo of Las Vegas celebrity impersonator Kelly Vohnn, for which the news network has since apologized.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of impersonator

Browse Nearby Words

poses (as)
poseur
poseurs
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Cite this Entry

“Poseur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poseur. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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