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pretended

adjective
pre·tend·ed | \pri-ˈten-dəd \

Definition of pretended 

: professed or avowed but not genuine pretended affection

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Other Words from pretended

pretendedly adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for pretended

Synonyms

affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, factitious, fake, false, feigned, forced, mechanical, mock, phony (also phoney), plastic, pseudo, put-on, sham, simulated, strained, unnatural

Antonyms

artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced

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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

 No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be. — Heather Wilhelm, National Review, "The Death of Fun as We Know It," 31 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pretended.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of pretended

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Dictionary Entries near pretended

pretemporal

pretend

pretendant

pretended

pretender

pretenderism

pretend to (something)

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Time Traveler for pretended

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on pretended

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pretended

Nglish: Translation of pretended for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of pretended for Arabic Speakers

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