pretender
noun
pre·tend·er
pri-ˈten-dər 
: one that pretends: such as
a
: one who lays claim to something
specifically
: a claimant to a throne who is held to have no just title
b
: one who makes a false or hypocritical show
Synonyms
Examples of pretender in a Sentence
it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender
Recent Examples on the Web
In any previous decade, he would have been dismissed as an inexperienced pretender.
—
Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024
For Atlanticists, most of them aging men but with no shortage of youthful pretenders among them, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been the equivalent of a blood transfusion.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
After two games played in South Korea last week, the schedule begins stateside in earnest tomorrow (March 29), with the Texas Rangers aiming to defend their World Series championship against the usual slate of contenders and pretenders.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
To go along with the pretender aesthetic, a lot of the parts under the glass are fake.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 14 July 2023
Friends turn into enemies and enemies become friends, among politicians and pretenders.
—Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Theme of the season: Conference race The leaders won, the pretenders lost and separation continued on the top shelf of the standings.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
There have been interim pretenders to the throne, some more successful than others.
—USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024
Why a core, aging at that, that’s won four championships gets run over by contenders and out-hustled by pretenders not only physically, but mentally.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024
Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024
For Atlanticists, most of them aging men but with no shortage of youthful pretenders among them, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been the equivalent of a blood transfusion.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
After two games played in South Korea last week, the schedule begins stateside in earnest tomorrow (March 29), with the Texas Rangers aiming to defend their World Series championship against the usual slate of contenders and pretenders.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
To go along with the pretender aesthetic, a lot of the parts under the glass are fake.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 14 July 2023
Friends turn into enemies and enemies become friends, among politicians and pretenders.
—Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Theme of the season: Conference race The leaders won, the pretenders lost and separation continued on the top shelf of the standings.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
There have been interim pretenders to the throne, some more successful than others.
—USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024
Why a core, aging at that, that’s won four championships gets run over by contenders and out-hustled by pretenders not only physically, but mentally.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretender.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretender. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pretender
noun
pre·tend·er
pri-ˈten-dər
1
: a person who pretends
2
: a person who claims a throne without right
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