1
as in pretence
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2
as in deception
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Recent Examples of imposture
The entire texture of that life, its willed imposture.
—
Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
Body Double Long before the imposture of Anna Delvey, the Tichborne Claimaint swept a nation’s imagination.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
Because such people are both brand-conscious and unable to detect the real thing, Miss Manners would be inclined to let the imposture pass.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
This imposture cows the enemy, but Hector slays Patroclus anyway, sealing everyone’s fate.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
The print revolution’s past and future, valuing an empire’s impact, a saga of inheritance and imposture from Zadie Smith, and more.
—Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2023
Buy Now: Desertion on Bookshop | Amazon The Fraud, Zadie Smith (Sept. 5)
Zadie Smith’s sixth novel—and first historical one—is inspired by the Tichborne Trial, a controversial case of imposture that divided Victorian England.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 23 Aug. 2023
The narrator is an antihero with a genius for imposture.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
By the end, this newly bold Portia, empowered by imposture, is more singer than speaker.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
Body Double Long before the imposture of Anna Delvey, the Tichborne Claimaint swept a nation’s imagination.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
Because such people are both brand-conscious and unable to detect the real thing, Miss Manners would be inclined to let the imposture pass.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
This imposture cows the enemy, but Hector slays Patroclus anyway, sealing everyone’s fate.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
The print revolution’s past and future, valuing an empire’s impact, a saga of inheritance and imposture from Zadie Smith, and more.
—Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2023
Buy Now: Desertion on Bookshop | Amazon The Fraud, Zadie Smith (Sept. 5)
Zadie Smith’s sixth novel—and first historical one—is inspired by the Tichborne Trial, a controversial case of imposture that divided Victorian England.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 23 Aug. 2023
The narrator is an antihero with a genius for imposture.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
By the end, this newly bold Portia, empowered by imposture, is more singer than speaker.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imposture
Noun
-
But these seductions or deceptions are canceled when the work confronts us with the photographic records of the performative procedure itself—and not only by making the photograph an integral component, the dialectical complement to the material sculptural production.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
-
He’s got some deception on the puck and does a good job holding onto it to wait for secondary options to open up, but slows the game down too much.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
From our review: Tessa Van den Broeck, a newcomer, plays Julie with zero affectation.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
No fussy affectations, just a deliberate tamping down of his more charismatic qualities.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Competitive advantage lies in differentiation, not imitation.—
Ayo Adepoju,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
Rare Breed agreed not to develop FRTs for pistols and to enforce its patents to block potentially unsafe imitations.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
That is how CrossFit die-hards who dabble in Qanon quackery and blame wildfires on space lasers end up as the face of the House GOP.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
-
But the thought of a person who spreads the kind of dishonesty, quackery and junk science that Kennedy habitually does — especially about our precious kiddos — is nothing short of stomach churning.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The title is a reference to Samuel Beckett’s classic play about a pair of drifters stuck waiting for a visitor who never shows, while his blend of fact and fiction takes a page from Gonzo classics like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
29 May 2025
-
Is that fact or fiction? North Texas has seen its fair share of rain over the month, including a stormy Memorial Day with 2.15 inches recorded at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
And some saw duplicity in Holden’s efforts since the councilman had fought so vigorously to restrict liquor licenses in South L.A. after the 1992 riots.—
Jaimie Ding,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
-
The publication, known for its close ties to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, framed the talks as yet another round of predictable Western duplicity.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
After his arrest, Duffy had faked amnesia and sought asylum in a psychiatric hospital, where doctors prevented the police from interrogating him, but the pretense of the amnesia was exposed at the trial by his ex-wife and a friend.—
Sarah Beckwith,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
-
May 8 Theft by false pretense: Someone contacted a Saratoga resident, claiming to be a member of the Federal Trade Commission.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Stewart is still thanked by gay fans by creating such a rare, highly visible (albeit sad) representation.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
-
As the varying price of goods continues to dictate the ways in which the apparel industry will progress, functionality remains a pivotal factor in garment production—acting as a physical representation of the consumer’s desire for more authority over their life, their finances and their wardrobe.—
Elizabeth Grace Coyne,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imposture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imposture. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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