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He portrayed himself to be a really straightforward, hardworking person that always keeps their word, always shows up and is on time when they make plans, but turned out to be completely the opposite of these things. I need a synonym for these things.

The sentence I want to use is:

"He turned out to be a douche"

(but I need another word/words or a phrase to put there that means exactly what I'm trying to say and not one that has such a wide array of contexts or meanings.)

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  • Have you typed "fraud synonym" into Google?
    – Hot Licks
    May 2, 2015 at 19:51

7 Answers 7

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You could use phoney (or phony in US spelling).

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More traditional would be "scoundrel" and "blackguard". (If you want even more of a Bertie Wooster ambience, the man is clearly "a cad and a bounder", what ho.) Specifically for fraud one may think of "cheat", "swindler", "con artist", "scamster" and so forth. Or if he was not stealing the petty cash but merely pretending to be something he was not, perhaps "bluffer" in addition to Area51's terms. There are probably hundreds of terms of opprobrium and moral censure in English.

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  • +1 for con man. And also blaggard. Hadn't see that one in a while!
    – Dan Bron
    May 2, 2015 at 19:38
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He was a sham (A person who pretends to be someone or something they are not).

In addition, if he falsely claimed to have knowledge/skills he didn't, he was a charlatan

Source: OED

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Maybe you mean insincere and unreliable person. Untrustworthy also comes to mind.

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  • Hello, and welcome to EL&U. The words you suggest certainly sound as though they would make plausible alternatives to the poster's original term, but in order to make your answer more useful to other readers, you might consider adding an brief explanation of why your suggestions are apt. Alternatively, you might link to a reliable online reference that explains or defines the terms you suggest. Thanks!
    – Sven Yargs
    May 2, 2015 at 6:54
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If I look at the sequence you provided, then "uncommitted", "unreliable", "undependable" and "disreputable" come to mind. A detailed understanding of the connotations you wish to convey would allow a more accurate selection.

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  • Hello, and welcome to English Language & Usage. As I mentioned in a comment beneath Kelly's answer, relevant suggestions such as "insincere" "unreliable," and "untrustworthy" (or your additional suggestions "uncommitted," "undependable," and "disreputable") are the first step in offering a good and useful answer to the poster's question. But to make your answer more useful to future readers, consider explaining why the words you suggest are suitable choices—and also consider adding links to online authorities defining or discussing those words. Thanks!
    – Sven Yargs
    May 2, 2015 at 7:00
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Sounds to me like a bent coin.

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Another informal modern synonym is fake[1][2] (or fake person).

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  • why the downvote ? because I refer to urban dictionary as a proof ? -there is also a link to TFD. Or because you don't like this synonym ? please, elaborate.
    – c69
    May 9, 2015 at 18:38

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