Definition of pretentious
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.
Test Your Vocabulary
Words Named After People
-
- Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share pretentious
Time Traveler for pretentious
The first known use of pretentious was in 1832
See more words from the same year