pretended

adjective

pre·​tend·​ed pri-ˈten-dəd How to pronounce pretended (audio)
: professed or avowed but not genuine
pretended affection
pretendedly adverb

Examples of pretended in a Sentence

he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat hoped that his pretended interest in classical music would impress the boss
Recent Examples on the Web The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all. Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022 What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022 No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be. Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretended.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pretended was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pretended

Cite this Entry

“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretended. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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