Synonyms: Nouns for People - SSAT Upper Level Verbal

A "wag" is a "wit," a witty person. A "thespian" is a theater performer, and a "truant" is a runaway. A "philanderer" is an adulterer, and a "vagabond" is a wanderer.

A "saint," in certain contexts, is an "angel." A "clerk" is a scribe or someone who does menial office work. "Imbecile" is a synonym for "dunce." "Virago" is a synonym for "harpy." A "mountebank" is a fraud and a cheater.

A "nemesis" is an enemy, whereas a "protagonist" is a main character (usually a hero/heroine). A "philanderer" is an adulterer, and a "mendicant" is a beggar. A "marauder" is a thief, looter, or raider.

"Residents" refers to the people who inhabit a space, the "populace." This is very different from an "oligarch," who is a rich aristocrat in a ruling class. An "interloper" is an intruder or an encroacher. A "sycophant" is someone who flatters others for personal gain. "Banshee" is a synonym for "ghoul."

A "thespian" is an "actor," a theater performer. A "mountebank" is a trickster and a cheat. A "dowager" is a rich and genteel elderly woman. "Oracle" is a synonym for "prophet." "Hooligan" is a synonym for "hoodlum."

"Doxy" means "mistress" or lover. "Pugilist" means boxer, and "demagogue" means rabble-rouser, rebel. A "crony" is a henchman, and an "artisan" is a craftsperson.

"Charlatan" is a noun that means "a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "fraud." Since "fake" is a synonym of "fraud" and none of the answer choices are close in meaning to "fraud," "fake" is the correct answer.

"Coworker" is the best choice, because a colleague is a person with whom one works. While it is possible that one might work with a "friend" or "acquaintance," neither word necessarily implies a person with whom one would work. A person's "contemporary" would just be someone living and working at the same time as that person. "Student" also doesn't work, because, while a teacher may work with a student, their relationship is not based on their being "coworkers."

A "nomad" is someone who doesn't stay long in one place, or a wanderer.

A fraud is a person or thing that intentionally deceives others, or a cheat.

A maniac is a person who has wild or extreme behavior, or a madman.

A consultant is someone who provides expert advice, or an adviser.

A "precursor"is a person or thing that comes before another of its same kind, or a "forerunner."

A nominee is a person who is nominated as a candidate for something, or a contender.

A dissident is a person who opposes a policy, or an objector.

A mentor is an adviser or guide.

Alumni are graduates from a school.

A "heretic" is a person who holds an opinion that is at odds with the general way of thinking, or a dissenter.

A "pariah" is a social outcast.