Humbugger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One who deceives or tricks others through false statements or actions; a person who bluffs or cheats for personal gain; an individual who behaves in a hypocritical or fraudulent manner
2. A deceiver who uses dishonesty and trickery to mislead people; someone who pretends to be something they are not in order to swindle others; a fraudster known for shameless duplicity
3. An individual skilled in misleading others by falsifying truth or intentions; a person who practices deceit and dishonesty to achieve objectives; one who shamelessly feigns sincerity while engaging in trickery

Etymology: "Humbugger" is simply "humbug" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so it means one who practices humbug. The interesting part is the base word, which has a notably unclear past. "Humbug" first turned up in the 18th century as a term for a hoax or a fraud, and it was also used for a kind of sweet, though the two uses are not clearly connected. The suffix does the rest of the work. "-er" builds a person from an action or practice, so a "baker" bakes and a "humbugger" humbugs. The word thus names someone who deceives while presenting a respectable front, which is the sense the base word has carried since its earliest uses.

Synonyms: deceiver, fraud, charlatan, swindler

Antonyms: honest person, truth teller