pseudointellectuals
Pretenders to erudition
Pseudointellectuals are people who pretend to knowledge or intelligence they don't actually possess.
The term is dismissive, suggesting someone who name-drops philosophers without understanding them or uses jargon to sound impressive: The coffee shop was full of pseudointellectuals debating Nietzsche.
The singular pseudointellectual works as both noun and adjective: pseudointellectual posturing.
Fraudulent person or thing
- shamFraudulent imitation
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- quackFake healer or fowl noise
- fakerOne who pretends
impostor · pretender · fraud · counterfeit · mountebank · huckster · sophist · blusterer
Person feigning refined tastes
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- name-droppingCiting connections for status
- affectedArtificially contrived behavior
- pompousAffectedly grand in manner
self-important · smug · elitist · snob · highbrow · condescending · arrogant · supercilious
Deceptive reasoning
- platitudeTrite, overused remark
- clichéOverused, unoriginal expression
- truismStatement needing no proof
- bromideOverused phrase or chemical
dogmatic · didactic · pontificating · mansplaining · lecturing · sermonizing · opinionated · know-it-all
Pretentiously elevated in speech
- verboseMore words than necessary
- pedanticExcessively concerned with minor rules
- sesquipedalianGiven to lengthy vocabulary
- floridExcessively ornate or ruddy
prolix · turgid · orotund · declamatory · jargon · buzzwords · overwrought · windy
Superficial pursuer of arts
- smattererOne with superficial knowledge
- armchairUpholstered seat with supports
- shallowWithout much depth
- cursoryHasty and incomplete
surface-level · half-baked · dabbler · amateur · novice · uninformed · facile · glib
phony
Fraudulent person or thing
faker · impostor · pretender · fraud · counterfeit · mountebank · huckster · sophist · blusterer · con-artist
poseur
Person feigning refined tastes
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- name-droppingCiting connections for status
- affectedArtificially contrived behavior
pompous · self-important · smug · elitist · snob · highbrow · condescending · arrogant · supercilious · holier-than-thou
sophistry
Deceptive reasoning
- platitudeTrite, overused remark
- clichéOverused, unoriginal expression
- truismStatement needing no proof
bromide · dogmatic · didactic · pontificating · mansplaining · lecturing · sermonizing · opinionated · know-it-all · contrarian
grandiloquent
Pretentiously elevated in speech
- verboseMore words than necessary
- pedanticExcessively concerned with minor rules
- sesquipedalianGiven to lengthy vocabulary
florid · prolix · turgid · orotund · declamatory · jargon · buzzwords · overwrought · windy · inflated
dilettante
Superficial pursuer of arts
- smattererOne with superficial knowledge
- armchairUpholstered seat with supports
- shallowWithout much depth
cursory · surface-level · half-baked · dabbler · amateur · novice · uninformed · facile · glib · skin-deep
pseudointellectualsscholars
Experts in a field
deep thinkers · experts · polymaths · savants · authorities
pseudointellectualsanti-intellectuals
Those opposing learned discourse
autodidacts · craftsmen · tradespeople · practitioners · doers