pretentious

adjective

pre·​ten·​tious pri-ˈten(t)-shəs 

1

: characterized by pretension: such as

a

: making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing)

the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him

—Richard Watts

b

: expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature

pretentious language

pretentious houses

2

: making demands on one's skill, ability, or means : ambitious

the pretentious daring of the Green Mountain Boys in crossing the lake

—Amer. Guide Series: Vt.

pretentiously adverb

pretentiousness noun

Synonyms

• arrogant
• pompous
• hifalutin
• ostentatious
• grandiose
• high-minded
• proud

Choose the Right Synonym for pretentious

showy, pretentious, ostentatious mean given to excessive outward display.

showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.

the performers' showy costumes

pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.

a pretentious parade of hard words

ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.

the ostentatious summer homes of the rich

Examples of pretentious in a Sentence

It is hard to be pretentious or elevated in Yiddish, and easy to poke fun. —Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 1988

To anyone ignorant of the underlying physics, it might seem the most arrogant and pretentious necromancy. —Carl Sagan, Contact, 1985

She seemed at that first meeting a little pretentious and a would-be intellectual—she was studying sociology in the States, a subject which thrives on banalities and abstract jargon … —Graham Greene, Getting to Know the General, 1984

… and then a P.S. running into 20 pages both sides of the paper and coming back to the top of page one—Hegel, Nietzsche, Emerson, Gide, Beethoven, Suarez—all the boys trotted out in reams of pretentious blather. —Myles na gCopaleen (Flann O'Brien), The Best of Myles, 1968

The houses in the neighborhood are large and pretentious.

that pretentious couple always serves caviar at their parties, even though they themselves dislike it

Recent Examples on the Web

Each burger is hand-packed with crisp lettuce, tomato, pickles and just a swipe of mustard — nothing unnecessary, nothing pretentious. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025

Need to drop a levity bomb in the middle of a group of pretentious characters? —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025

And though all of Anderson’s artistry and jittery comedic sensibility is present, the director hasn’t created a pretentious version of an action flick; One Battle After Another is the real thing, filled with beautifully shot car chases and shoot-outs. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025

Their pretentious vocabulary is what’s keeping progressives from connecting with everyday Americans, according to a memo prepared by a left-leaning think tank and aimed at helping Democrats regain their common touch. —Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French prétentieux, from prétention "claim (as to excellence or superiority)" (going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin praetentiōn-, praetentiō, variant of praetensiō "allegation, assertion") + -eux, going back to Latin -ōsus -ose entry 1 — more at pretension entry 1

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pretentious

• conscientious
• unpretentious
• contentious
• sententious
• tendentious

Kids Definition

pretentious

adjective

pre·​ten·​tious pri-ˈten-chəs 

: appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case

pretentiously adverb

pretentiousness noun