Synonyms of pretend

pretend 1 of 2

verb

pri-ˈtend 

1

as in to pose

to take on a false or deceptive appearance

I pretended that I didn't care that my ex had a new man in her life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pose
• play
• assume
• act
• dissimulate
• make believe
• dissemble
• fake
• simulate
• let on
• make a show
• conceal
• make out
• masquerade
• make a pretense
• profess
• put on an act
• feign
• put up a front
• impersonate
• disguise
• affect
• mask
• playact
• camouflage
• sham
• put on
• counterfeit
• bluff
• feint

2

as in to assume

to present a false appearance of

as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assume
• simulate
• act
• affect
• feign
• profess
• pass (for)
• make believe
• fake
• dissemble
• bluff
• conceal
• put on
• pose
• counterfeit
• play
• sham
• forge
• imitate
• masquerade
• impersonate
• let on
• dissimulate
• disguise
• camouflage
• mask
• playact
• feint
• malinger

pretend

2 of 2

adjective

1

as in faux

being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

if you were to see the movie's pretend jewels in real life, you wouldn't be fooled for a minute

Synonyms & Similar Words

• faux
• fake
• simulated
• synthetic
• dummy
• artificial
• imitation
• mock
• false
• mimic
• imitative
• substitute
• manufactured
• sham
• ersatz
• factitious
• bogus
• designer
• counterfeit
• process
• manipulated
• deceptive
• man-made
• engineered
• fabricated
• cultured
• concocted
• forged
• pseudo
• misleading
• feigned
• unauthentic
• adulterated
• phony
• fraudulent
• doctored
• fudged
• juggled
• affected
• spurious
• tampered (with)
• pinchbeck
• brummagem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• natural
• genuine
• true
• legitimate
• authentic
• bona fide
• valuable
• pure
• quality
• premium
• unadulterated

2

as in imaginary

not real and existing only in the imagination

it's just a pretend gun, so please pretend that I got you and play dead

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imaginary
• fictitious
• fictional
• imagined
• mythical
• fantasied
• invented
• imaginal
• make-believe
• ideal
• phantom
• unreal
• fanciful
• chimerical
• unlikely
• notional
• made-up
• fantastic
• theoretical
• phantasmal
• fabulous
• legendary
• romantic
• hypothetical
• visionary
• phantasmic
• fabled
• abstract
• envisioned
• unconvincing
• unbelievable
• deceptive
• conceived
• illusory
• pictured
• envisaged
• concocted
• feigned
• visualized
• nonexistent
• fictive
• delusional
• delusive
• hallucinatory
• fabricated
• phantasmagoric
• daydreamlike
• inexistent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• actual
• true
• genuine
• existing
• authentic
• existent
• convincing
• factual
• realistic
• verifiable
• physical
• believable
• substantial
• solid
• verified
• tangible
• corporeal
• material
• palpable

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pretend contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pretend are affect, assume, counterfeit, feign, sham, and simulate. While all these words mean "to put on a false or deceptive appearance," pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

Where would affect be a reasonable alternative to pretend?

In some situations, the words affect and pretend are roughly equivalent. However, affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

When might assume be a better fit than pretend?

Although the words assume and pretend have much in common, assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

In what contexts can counterfeit take the place of pretend?

The meanings of counterfeit and pretend largely overlap; however, counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

How does the word feign relate to other synonyms for pretend?

Feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

When is sham a more appropriate choice than pretend?

The words sham and pretend can be used in similar contexts, but sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

When can simulate be used instead of pretend?

While in some cases nearly identical to pretend, simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pretend

Verb

Like any parent, she is frazzled and tired and overwhelmed and not pretending otherwise. — Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026

Assassination-for-hire is the tragicomic domain of people looking for someone to kill a spouse or a rival but getting blackmailed by teenagers pretending to be hit men in the process. — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Gen doesn’t give her even a pretend smile. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 June 2026

Having such big feelings about the pretend baseball team strikes me as exhausting, among other things. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 6 May 2026