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 of pretender

• fraud
• fake
• sham
• impostor
• deceiver
• charlatan
• faker
• mountebank
• misleader
• quack
• actor

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

The King of Poland and the pretender to the throne of Sweden. —Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025

Week 10 kicked off the month with several examples of contenders and pretenders revealing themselves. —Erick Smith, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

Week 9 of the college football season separated some contenders from pretenders. —Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025

Unless he’s mellowed considerably since The Last Dance got us through that sports-free stretch of 2020—a decidedly unlikely turn of events—Jordan’s likely going to toss a few barbs every now and again toward the pretenders to his throne. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

pretend entry 1 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pretender

• bartender
• contender
• defender
• engender
• extender
• offender
• provender
• surrender
• suspender
• transgender
• bender
• blender

Kids Definition

pretender

noun

pre·​tend·​er pri-ˈten-dər 

1

: a person who pretends

2

: a person who claims a throne without right