Checking saved dictionary data and trusted language sources. This will stop automatically if a source does not respond.
/ɪmˈpɒstjʊə(ɹ)/ · noun
The act or conduct of an impostor; deception practiced under a false or assumed character; fraud or imposition..
Among an unenlightened people every impoſture is likely to take place, for ignorance is the parent of credulity.
There is something very horrible in the laugh of a dying man: Hovering on the verge of both worlds, he seems to give the lie to both, and proclaim the enjoyments of one, and the hopes of another, alike an imposture.
"I thought that you were a genuine mathematician—I vouched for it," replied Sir Fergus with more regret than anything else. "And the extent of your achievement has been to contrive a vulgar imposture—in the guise of an ingenious inventor to swindle society by a sham automaton that doesn't even work."
Use imposture when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Imposture means The act or conduct of an impostor; deception practiced under a false or assumed character; fraud or imposition..
Common synonyms include cheating, impersonation.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Among an unenlightened people every impoſture is likely to take place, for ignorance is the parent of credulity.
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.