quack
[noun]
Synonyms: charlatan, fake, fraud, humbug, impostor, mountebank, phoney or phony (informal)

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Related Words: counterfeiter, pretender, shammer, simulator

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English Thesaurus: doctor, GP, physician, quack, the medical profession, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. quack¹ /kwæk/ verb [intransitive]
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: From the sound]
to make the sound that ducks make

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. quack² noun [countable]
[Sense 1: Date: 1800-1900; Origin: ⇒ quack¹]
[Sense 2-3: Date: 1600-1700; Origin: quacksalver 'quack' (16-19 centuries), from early Dutch, probably from quacken 'to quack, talk' + salf 'cure']

1. the sound a duck makes

2. someone who pretends to be a doctor – used in order to show disapproval ⇒ quackery:
quacks selling weight-loss drugs

3. British English informal a doctor:
You’d better go and see the quack with that burn.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. quack³ adjective [only before noun]
relating to the activities or medicines of someone who pretends to be a doctor ⇒ quackery:
a quack remedy

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

doctor someone who treats people who are ill, who has completed a long course of study at medical school:
If you have bad chest pains, you should see a doctor.
GP British English a doctor who is trained in general medicine and who treats the people who live in a local area:
My GP told me that I must lose weight.
physician /fəˈzɪʃən, fɪˈzɪʃən/ formal especially American English a doctor:
the American physician, Dr James Tyler Kent
quack informal someone who pretends to be a doctor:
My father felt that people practicing alternative medicine were just a bunch of quacks.
the medical profession doctors and nurses considered as a group:
This view is widely accepted among the medical profession.
surgeon /ˈsɜːdʒən $ ˈsɜːr-/ a doctor who does operations in a hospital:
One of the world’s top heart surgeons performed the operation.
specialist a doctor with special knowledge about a particular illness, part of the body, or type of treatment:
The new drug is being tested by cancer specialists.
an eye specialist
consultant British English a very senior doctor in a hospital, with a lot of knowledge about a particular area of medicine:
The consultant said that he did not think it was cancer.
paramedic someone who has been trained to treat sick or injured people, especially at the scene of an accident:
Paramedics treated him for shock.
vet (also veterinarian especially American English) a doctor who treats animals:
We took the cat to the vet.
paediatrician British English, pediatrician American English a doctor who treats children who are sick
gynaecologist British English, gynecologist American English a doctor who treats medical conditions and illnesses that affect women’s bodies
obstetrician a doctor who deals with the birth of children
radiographer someone whose job is to take X-rays or to treat people using an X-ray machine
psychiatrist /saɪˈkaɪətrəst, saɪˈkaɪətrɪst $ sə-/ a doctor who is trained to treat people with mental illnesses:
In order to become a psychiatrist, you first need a medical degree.
psychologist /saɪˈkɒlədʒəst, saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst $ -ˈkɑː-/ a scientist who studies and is trained in psychology (=the study of the mind):
Many psychologists believe that aggression is a learned behaviour.
shrink informal a humorous word for a psychiatrist
therapist a trained person whose job is to help people with their emotional problems, especially by talking to them and asking them to talk about their feelings
medical student a student who is studying medicine in order to be a doctor:
James is a medical student at Edinburgh university.
intern American English a student who has almost finished studying to be a doctor, and who is working in a hospital

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲