Synonyms of pretended

pretended 1 of 2

adjective

pri-ˈten-dəd 

1

as in mock

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mock
• strained
• false
• fake
• assumed
• unnatural
• exaggerated
• forced
• affected
• feigned
• simulated
• contrived
• mechanical
• pseudo
• artificial
• plastic
• sham
• phony
• bogus
• cute
• spurious
• factitious
• put-on
• theatrical
• hollow
• calculated
• manufactured
• unreal
• pat
• empty
• labored
• automatic
• deliberate
• fabricated
• concocted
• hypocritical
• unrealistic
• canned
• insincere
• conscious
• formal
• stiff
• studied
• wooden
• cultivated
• hokey
• facile
• unctuous
• melodramatic
• conventional
• two-faced
• mealy
• unauthentic
• premeditated
• histrionic
• impersonal
• mealymouthed
• stylized
• overacted
• rigid
• double-dealing
• simpering
• genteel
• cutesy
• left-handed
• overdone
• overrefined
• mincing
• inflexible
• artful
• goody-goody

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• genuine
• real
• unaffected
• spontaneous
• true
• natural
• right
• artless
• authentic
• bona fide
• realistic
• sincere
• honest
• unfeigned
• easy
• ingenuous
• unforced
• uncontrived
• smooth
• unconscious
• effortless
• impromptu
• instinctive
• unpretending
• impulsive
• extemporaneous
• unprompted
• unrehearsed
• unstudied

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

• fake
• double
• feigned
• strained
• assumed
• lip
• meaningless
• superficial
• hollow
• hypocritical
• counterfeit
• artificial
• insincere
• phony
• backhanded
• pious
• forced
• mechanical
• false
• affected
• jive
• unnatural
• unctuous
• contrived
• mealy
• two-faced
• dishonest
• double-faced
• phony-baloney
• empty
• simulated
• mealymouthed
• Pecksniffian
• double-dealing
• Janus-faced
• left-handed
• sham
• deceitful
• put-on
• glib
• untruthful
• bogus
• devious
• facile
• claptrap
• facetious
• sanctimonious
• tongue-in-cheek
• jocular
• pharisaical
• campy
• simon-pure
• self-righteous
• canting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• genuine
• sincere
• honest
• unfeigned
• candid
• artless
• heartfelt
• open
• plain
• direct
• frank
• undesigning
• straightforward
• forthright
• heart-to-heart

pretended

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pretend

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

• posed
• acted
• assumed
• played
• faked
• made believe
• made a show
• dissembled
• let on
• simulated
• dissimulated
• concealed
• masqueraded
• made a pretense
• professed
• made out
• disguised
• feigned
• put on an act
• impersonated
• put up a front
• masked
• affected
• camouflaged
• shammed
• counterfeited
• bluffed
• put on
• playacted
• feinted

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

• assumed
• simulated
• acted
• feigned
• professed
• affected
• passed (for)
• made believe
• faked
• shammed
• bluffed
• dissembled
• concealed
• posed
• counterfeited
• forged
• put on
• played
• imitated
• masqueraded
• impersonated
• disguised
• camouflaged
• let on
• masked
• dissimulated
• feinted
• playacted
• malingered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pretended

Verb

Police later determined that Bianchi and Buono often pretended to be off-duty police officers to lure their victims. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

The wild videos of Daejon Love, the 35-year-old man who pretended to be a 49ers receiver. — Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

One, a 35-year-old man, pretended to be a San Francisco 49ers player or a wealthy real estate investor, the Department of Justice said. — Idaho Statesman, 28 Aug. 2026

Once upon a time, Republicans understood this, or at least pretended to. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026

The individual pretended to be from the Federal Trade Commission and told the victims to take funds out of their account and put it into a cryptocurrency kiosk, staying on the phone with them to avoid detection by bank tellers, officials said. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

Built Through Adversity, Not Overnight Scaling from one property to more than 1,000 units is not a clean process, and Jake and Austin have never pretended otherwise. — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

As bait, the researchers created a fake startup, Ballena Azul, which pretended to focus on decentralized finance for large holders of cryptocurrency, which North Koreans have been known to target to fund the country’s regime. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026

The woman got up on their table and gleefully pretended to tap dance, drawing an amused crowd of onlookers. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026