Imposter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who deceives others by assuming a false identity or role
2. Someone who falsely claims to be another individual for deceitful purposes
3. An individual who impersonates another to gain trust or advantage

Etymology: "Imposter" is a spelling variant of "impostor," and the two forms have been competing in English for centuries. The older and etymologically fuller form is "impostor," which comes from the Latin "impostor," meaning a deceiver or one who imposes upon others, built from "imponere," to impose or put upon. The "-or" ending marks the doer of the action, the same pattern seen in "actor" or "tutor." The later spelling "imposter" replaces the final "-or" with "-er," the ending familiar from words like "teacher" or "writer." English speakers often reshaped foreign-looking endings into more common English ones, and this change follows that habit. Both spellings are accepted today, though "impostor" remains the more traditional choice in dictionaries and formal writing.

Synonyms: fraud, phony, pretender, charlatan, deceiver

Antonyms: genuine, authentic, real, truthful, honest