impostor

/ɪmˈpɒstə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪmˈpɑːstər/ (ame, ipa) · /im-ˈpä-stər/ (ame, mw)

impostor — noun

  • impostorsingular
  • impostorsplural

1. someone who falsely claims a different identity, often a stranger's name, job, o

1.名詞C1
釋義

someone who falsely claims a different identity, often a stranger's name, job, or rank, so that people will trust them or hand over money, access, or secrets.

例句

An impostor wearing a fake uniform walked past the guards at the embassy gate.

typical noun phrase: 'an impostor + wearing/posing/claiming...'

Yuna realised the man at her grandmother's door was an impostor when he could not name a single relative.

predicative: 'be an impostor' as the reveal of a deception

同義詞
  • impersonator

    more neutral — often paid entertainer copying a celebrity; 'impostor' implies criminal or harmful intent

  • fraud

    broader — anyone faking credentials, expertise, or character, not only identity

  • fake

    informal; can describe a thing as well as a person

  • pretender

    older / more literary; often used of someone claiming a title or throne

文法句型

an impostor + (modifier)

用法筆記

Almost always countable and modified — typical frame is 'an impostor + posing/claiming/pretending to be + [role or person]'. Subject of verbs like 'pose', 'pretend', 'claim'; object of verbs like 'unmask', 'expose', 'arrest', 'catch'.

常見錯誤

❌He is impostor.
✅He is an impostor.
💡the noun is countable and needs an article.
❌She felt impostor at the meeting.
✅She felt like an impostor at the meeting.
💡for the psychological sense, the natural phrasing is 'feel like an impostor' or 'impostor syndrome'.