1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
hoped that his pretended interest in classical music would impress the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in posed
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
2
as in assumed
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretended
Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022
No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Katie Langford, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Arlester Brown, a Black soldier who fought in a segregated army, crossed an ocean to depend on men of every background for his survival — and came home to an America that pretended that bond didn’t exist.
—Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Prosecutors say Watson pretended to be a pregnant teen, copying the social media posts of a minor in Pennsylvania.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 May 2026
In January 2024, investigators pretended to represent a gum company conducting research into flavors participants prefer.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Darryl pretended to be a novice and challenged Tyler to a match, even promising him a new pair of cleats if Tyler won.
—New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
At least one fan even pretended to kiss the trophy through the glass.
—Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Dressed in a tux and standing behind a podium Thursday, Kimmel pretended to deliver a comic routine for the WHCA dinner.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Davis wore disguises on multiple video calls with potential investors in 2024 and pretended to be three different NFL players.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022
No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Verb
His wife fell to the floor and pretended to be dead, and Little was pronounced dead at a hospital.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Arlester Brown, a Black soldier who fought in a segregated army, crossed an ocean to depend on men of every background for his survival — and came home to an America that pretended that bond didn’t exist.
—Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Prosecutors say Watson pretended to be a pregnant teen, copying the social media posts of a minor in Pennsylvania.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 May 2026
In January 2024, investigators pretended to represent a gum company conducting research into flavors participants prefer.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Darryl pretended to be a novice and challenged Tyler to a match, even promising him a new pair of cleats if Tyler won.
—New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
At least one fan even pretended to kiss the trophy through the glass.
—Peter Warren, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Dressed in a tux and standing behind a podium Thursday, Kimmel pretended to deliver a comic routine for the WHCA dinner.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Davis wore disguises on multiple video calls with potential investors in 2024 and pretended to be three different NFL players.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
Strangers are matched by experts and move in together after mock wedding ceremonies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
The first mock drafts tend to go up just after the previous year’s real draft ends.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Off Campus uses the messy lives of these athletes to explore romance tropes like fake-dating plots, enemies-to-lovers twists, secret relationships, and more.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2026
-
The Sentinel story published earlier this month featured both Gavi’s and Bastien’s cases as examples of Florida’s inconsistent approach to dealing with nurses who received degrees from roughly two dozen schools that sold fake nursing degrees to more than 7,000 people over the past several years.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The Grammy Award-winning singer posed for photos on the red carpet in a black bodysuit with a plunging neckline and sheer mesh on the side and ruffles on the neck and down the torso.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
-
Mark Straus, a Rockies fan from Glenwood Springs, posed the question.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Because of the church scene, which was strongly suggestive of all the characters going to the afterlife, many viewers assumed that all the passengers on Oceanic 815 had been dead the whole time.—
Julie Tremaine,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
-
In an unusual move, the Lake County sheriff’s department assumed New Chicago police jurisdiction Friday in the one-square mile town located west of Lake Station and north of Hobart.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
García and Calvo have had a strained relationship since both attempted to run for office in the city, although García eventually withdrew from the race.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
-
First, the explosion of remote work during the pandemic strained ties between colleagues who once saw each other in the office every day.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
With two outs already recorded in the inning, Rodón surrendered a double to Carson Benge before issuing walks to Bo Bichette and Juan Soto.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
-
Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson took a double minor for high-sticking, and Jason Zucker scored on the power play to get the Sabres back within one going into the first intermission.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The criminal trial comes months after a separate jury in a civil trial found that Parker acted with gross negligence in the shooting and awarded the injured teacher, Abby Zwerner, $10 million in damages.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
The defense attorney said Laird had acted suspiciously by deleting messages between him and Maya on multiple platforms.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Agency officials simulated conditions for July 4, when ridership is expected to peak.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
-
The model simulated how individual algae join or leave clusters depending on irradiation wavelength and intensity.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
