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
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
California Schemin’ is based on the true story of two Scottish friends, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who pretended to be a California rap duo, Silibil N’ Brains, to realize their dream of hip-hop stardom.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
No one pretended when Johnny Carson or others retired that the new group would replace them.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Instead of confirming or denying, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach flashed a wide smile and pretended the connection on their call was too poor to proceed.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The indictment states Peters and Knisley pretended to hire an IT consultant, used his name and Social Security number to pass a background check and acquire a security clearance and access badge.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
To this day, Musk maintains that Altman pretended that OpenAI would remain a nonprofit serving the public good in order to seize access to Musk's money and professional connections in its first five years and gain a lead in AI.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
Even the mighty United States learned that lesson the hard way over the 22 years from 1949 to 1971, when Washington pretended that the Nationalist regime headquartered in Taipei constituted the legitimate government of mainland China.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
In one example given in the complaint, a scammer pretended to be a ConEdison employee notifying a victim of a fraudulent shutoff notice.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
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
There was that episode of The Nanny where Fran pretended to be Bobbi Flekman.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
California Schemin’ is based on the true story of two Scottish friends, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who pretended to be a California rap duo, Silibil N’ Brains, to realize their dream of hip-hop stardom.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
No one pretended when Johnny Carson or others retired that the new group would replace them.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Instead of confirming or denying, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach flashed a wide smile and pretended the connection on their call was too poor to proceed.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The indictment states Peters and Knisley pretended to hire an IT consultant, used his name and Social Security number to pass a background check and acquire a security clearance and access badge.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
To this day, Musk maintains that Altman pretended that OpenAI would remain a nonprofit serving the public good in order to seize access to Musk's money and professional connections in its first five years and gain a lead in AI.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
Even the mighty United States learned that lesson the hard way over the 22 years from 1949 to 1971, when Washington pretended that the Nationalist regime headquartered in Taipei constituted the legitimate government of mainland China.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
In one example given in the complaint, a scammer pretended to be a ConEdison employee notifying a victim of a fraudulent shutoff notice.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
Whose idea was this, and what kinds of settler-colonial relations does this mock holdup invert?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Sweater My grandmother also purchased this 100 percent cashmere mock-neck sweater to have on hand in case the weather requires an extra layer.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Federal Trade Commission issued an alert earlier in 2025 to encourage parents to talk to their children about the risks associated with responding to a fake text.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
-
To make Reen feel comfortable and truly welcomed, Long’s entire extended family wore fake tattoo sleeves to the reunion.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Elordi, 28, posed for photos solo ahead of the screening of director Guillermo del Toro's latest film.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Even before Bohm’s IL stint had been announced, former Phillies GM and current broadcaster Ruben Amaro posed the idea of promoting Miller after Turner went down.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In compliance with the restraining order, eight seconds of footage featuring the tape were edited out of the film, and Centro Asturiano management was assured that the producers assumed full liability, per the Tampa Bay Times.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The fire is assumed to have been triggered by a lightning strike.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Though the former couple remained close in the years after their separation, their relationship allegedly became strained when Simon stopped paying for their children’s school and medical fees following a change on his tax return.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In contrast to Bella’s strained relationship with Coverley, her bond with her father was effortless.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The addition of the Warlock-like floaty jump (sorry, there are just a lot of Destiny things) is very good, as is the base level double jump all characters have.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The patterns will suit any stripe preference, from the wider Pembroke in pine green and sandstone to the mini- and double-stripe options.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the end, Frizer was found to have acted in self-defense and officially pardoned by the Queen.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Meyer has also appeared on Designated Survivor (2018), The Fix (2019), and Good Girls (2021), and acted in films including Changeland (2019), Unpregnant (2020), and The Enormity of Life (2021).—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Even when the authors simulated the emergence of new, more transmissible variants (a frequent situation that proved very challenging to forecasters during the COVID-19 pandemic), the algorithm proved robust, adjusting quickly by re-estimating transmission rates.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In the first experiment, called the carbon assimilation experiment or the pyrolytic release experiment, the researchers simulated the Martian atmosphere in one of Viking’s test chambers.—
Joel S. Levine,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share