poseurs

Pretenders lacking authenticity

Poseurs is the plural of poseur—people who affect attitudes, behaviors, or styles to impress others rather than from genuine conviction.

The term carries contempt: The scene was full of poseurs who'd never heard the band's early albums.

A poseur claims membership in a subculture or expertise in a field without authentic credentials.

The French spelling adds a note of irony, as if the affectation extends even to the word itself.

pretense

charlatan

Faker claiming false expertise

phonyFraudulent person or thing
fraudIntentional criminal trickery
impostorOne feigning another's identity

faker · deceiver · sham · quack · mountebank · wannabe · fake · hypocrite · masquerader · swindler

subcultures

hipster

Aggressively alternative person

scenesterSubculture status seeker
fashionistaStyle-obsessed person
trendsetterOne who initiates styles

bandwagoner · groupie · tryhard · gatekeeper · influencer · armchair expert · weekend warrior · fair-weather fan · tourist · dabbler

affectation

pretension

Unwarranted claim to merit

airsPretentious behavioral displays
artificeClever deceptive strategy
ostentationVulgar flaunting of means

show · vanity · pompousness · theatricality · snobbery · haughtiness · superficiality · affectedness · grandiosity · fakery

Categories

deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
show-offsbraggarts, boasters, showboats, grandstanders, egotists
non-expertsamateurs, beginners, novices, laypeople, non-experts

Opposites

authenticity

poseursgenuine articles

Authentic items, not counterfeits

true believers · the real thing · originals · purists · devotees

substance vs superficiality

poseursexperts

Highly skilled practitioners

masters · virtuosos · professionals · veterans · authorities

insider status

poseursveterans

Former armed forces members

old-timers · lifers · die-hards · stalwarts · founding members

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G