tinhorn
/ˈtɪnˌhɔrn/
noun
- A person who pretends to be wealthy, important, or skillful but is actually cheap, dishonest, or incompetent.
- The gambler was just a tinhorn who bragged about his winnings but couldn't pay his debts.
- Don't let that tinhorn fool you with his fancy talk; he's never run a real business.
- The movie's villain was a classic tinhorn, all show and no substance.
adjective
- Cheap, showy, or pretending to be important but actually worthless or dishonest.
- He drove a tinhorn car covered in fake gold trim.
- The tinhorn politician made big promises but had no real plan.
- She saw through his tinhorn charm and refused to invest in his scheme.
Antonyms