Synonyms of fraud

fraud

noun

ˈfrȯd 

1

as in scam

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

thousands of people lost money when the investment scheme turned out to be a fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scam
• swindle
• con
• hoax
• scheme
• flimflam
• sting
• shell game
• bunco
• device
• hustle
• fiddle
• trick
• counterfeit
• forgery
• racket
• cross
• Ponzi scheme
• pyramid scheme
• stratagem
• fix
• rip-off
• overcharging
• gouging
• sham
• ploy
• fake
• jig
• dodge
• phony
• gimmick
• wile
• soaking
• sleight
• humbug
• three-card monte
• thimblerig

2

as in fake

one who makes false claims of identity or expertise

the "blind" panhandler was just a fraud trying to con holiday shoppers out of their money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fake
• sham
• pretender
• charlatan
• deceiver
• misleader
• impostor
• faker
• quack
• actor
• phony
• mountebank
• counterfeiter
• operator
• hoaxer
• ringer
• humbug
• fakir
• sharper
• quacksalver
• copycat
• dissembler
• swindler
• defrauder
• fraudster
• imitator
• scammer
• impersonator
• trickster
• mimic
• skinner
• poseur
• dodger
• duper
• scamster
• bluffer
• feigner
• sharpie
• cozener

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expert
• master
• authority
• professional
• virtuoso
• wizard
• maestro
• ace
• whiz
• past master
• adept
• crackerjack

3

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

charges that he had gained control of his elderly mother's estate by fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• deceit
• cheating
• deceptiveness
• deceitfulness
• cunning
• lying
• dishonesty
• duplicity
• fakery
• crookedness
• crookery
• double-dealing
• secrecy
• dissimulation
• fraudulence
• dissembling
• cozenage
• dupery
• guile
• craftiness
• craft
• cunningness
• wiliness
• artifice
• swindling
• subterfuge
• chicanery
• trickery
• prevarication
• skulduggery
• guilefulness
• hypocrisy
• foxiness
• mendacity
• insincerity
• equivocation
• jugglery
• hanky-panky
• artfulness
• obliquity
• legerdemain
• fib
• untruth
• falsehood
• underhandedness
• chicane
• mountebankery
• shrewdness
• deviousness
• wile
• unscrupulousness
• shadiness
• sanctimoniousness
• treacherousness
• falsity
• furtiveness
• caginess
• sneakiness
• covertness
• slyness
• shiftiness
• slipperiness
• smoothness
• two-facedness
• stealthiness
• oiliness
• slickness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• good faith
• sincerity
• artlessness
• ingenuousness
• openness
• forthrightness
• frankness
• candor
• honesty
• directness
• reliability
• guilelessness
• plainness
• probity
• trustworthiness
• integrity
• solidity
• dependability
• truthfulness
• goodness
• righteousness
• candidness
• plainspokenness
• decency
• incorruptibility
• uprightness
• trustiness
• trustability
• reliableness
• virtuousness

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fraud different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of fraud are counterfeit, fake, humbug, imposture, and sham. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When could counterfeit be used to replace fraud?

The words counterfeit and fraud can be used in similar contexts, but counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When can fake be used instead of fraud?

The words fake and fraud are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

When would humbug be a good substitute for fraud?

The meanings of humbug and fraud largely overlap; however, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When might imposture be a better fit than fraud?

While in some cases nearly identical to fraud, imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

In what contexts can sham take the place of fraud?

Although the words sham and fraud have much in common, sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fraud

In 2013, Teresa and Joe were indicted for tax fraud, and both served time in federal prison. —Jamie Ballard, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026

Because secondary shares are traded via private contracts, often in secret, buyers are vulnerable to fraud. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Haney said that the questions from the agents appeared to be focused on voter fraud. —Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 12 June 2026

During his tumultuous tenure as head of the Department of Government Efficience—or DOGE—in 2025, Musk pledged to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget by slashing jobs and cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 12 June 2026