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imposter - A person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain

The man on the phone who was asking for money sounded like Emily's friend, but she thought he was probably an imposter.

noun

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hypocrisy - Behavior that is the opposite of how one actually is, being fake by pretending to be one thing, and acting in the opposite way.

The politician was guilty of hypocrisy because he promised reforms, but his real goal was to enrich himself and his friends.

adjective

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contrived - Artificial and difficult to believe.

Fred was still considered a prime suspect, because his story about what he did the night of the crime sounded contrived to the detective who interviewed him.

adjective

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fictitious - Imaginary, not real, made up and not true.

All the main characters in Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities are fictitious, but the book gives you a good idea of what really happened.

verb

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connive - To secretly allow (something considered immoral, illegal, wrong, or harmful) to occur

Stewie would connive ways in which to gain power, though he usually failed.

noun

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rogue - Behaving in a way that causes damage.

Martha's friends tried to warn her that under Charlie's charming exterior was a rogue that would eventually hurt her.

noun

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smokescreen - A distraction or false front used to mislead or deceive others.

The flashy website and ad campaign turned out to be a smokescreen so people would be distracted from paying attention to the company's declining sales.

adjective

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disingenuous - Giving a false appearance of being truthful or genuine.

It was disingenuous of him to act surprised when he clearly knew what was going on

noun

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gimmick - A trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business

Sales promotions like "buy one, get one free" are a common marketing gimmick.

adjective

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phony - Not genuine; fraudulent

To someone with an untrained eye, it can be hard to tell a phony handbag from a real one.

verb

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delude - To mislead someone into believing something that is not true

The cult's leader deluded his followers into believing he knew the path to Heaven, but it was really the path to Hell.

noun

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charlatan - A person who falsely pretends to know or be something in order to deceive people

The man selling snake oil claimed it would cure all diseases, but Harvey knew the man was just a charlatan.