обма́нщик
obmánščikmasculine
Cheater in Russian is обма́нщик (obmánščik) for a man and обма́нщица for a woman. If unsure, use обма́нщик. Wiktionary also lists моше́нник (mošénnik) and моше́нница (mošénnica).
Meaning: someone who cheats (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| обма́нщик | obmánščik | masculine |
| обма́нщица | obmánščica | feminine |
| моше́нник | mošénnik | feminine |
| моше́нница | mošénnica | feminine |
обма́нщик is a general word for a deceiver, someone who lies to or cheats others.
What does it mean word for word?
It comes from the verb to deceive plus the suffix -щик, which marks a person doing an action.
Which one should you use?
моше́нник, feminine моше́нница, means a swindler or fraudster, someone who cheats people for money. Жулик is an informal word for a trickster or swindler.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of обма́нщик is обма́нщики, and the plural of моше́нник is моше́нники.
How do you pronounce it?
Following the romanization obmánščik, the stress falls on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word жулик shares a historical root with the word for 'juggling' in some European languages. It originally described someone who used sleight of hand to deceive people.
- The informal term жулик can sometimes be used affectionately for a child who is being a little bit naughty or tricky.
- While моше́нник is used for professional criminals, a person who cheats in a board game or at cards is more commonly called a шуле́р, a term specifically for card sharps.
Examples in context
- Он жулик, всегда пытается обмануть насHe is a trickster, always trying to cheat us
- Он настоящий обма́нщик.On nastoyashchiy obmanshchik.He is a real cheater.
- Не верь ему, он обма́нщик.Ne ver' emu, on obmanshchik.Don't believe him, he is a cheater.
- Этот обма́нщик забрал мои деньги.Etot obmanshchik zabral moi den'gi.This cheater took my money.
Example conversation
Andrey is warning Maria about a dishonest salesman.
- Мария MariaТы веришь этому человеку?Ty verish' etomu cheloveku?Do you believe this man?
- Андрей AndreyНет, он просто обма́нщик.Net, on prosto obmanshchik.No, he is just a cheater.
- Мария MariaПочему ты так думаешь?Pochemu ty tak dumayesh'?Why do you think so?
- Андрей AndreyОн врёт про свои услуги.On vryot pro svoi uslugi.He lies about his services.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheater” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
