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
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Example Sentences
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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
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
That intrusion began with phishing calls to the company’s technology help desk by hackers who pretended to be employees requesting a reset of their authentication credentials.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
The power struggle swirls around the saintly, ineffectual King Henry until gradually the dynamic York, who has pretended to support Margaret while secretly hatching his own plot, emerges as the chief contender for the throne.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Albini phoned the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando and pretended to be Madonna’s assistant, and placed him on hold for 45 minutes.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
One cheeky Instagram Reel sees the two sitting across from each other at a table as Bradford pretended to lecture Brunette.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Einbinder, playing along as though she’d been caught, pretended a producer was calling her offstage and got up to leave while the set erupted.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 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
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
That intrusion began with phishing calls to the company’s technology help desk by hackers who pretended to be employees requesting a reset of their authentication credentials.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
The power struggle swirls around the saintly, ineffectual King Henry until gradually the dynamic York, who has pretended to support Margaret while secretly hatching his own plot, emerges as the chief contender for the throne.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Albini phoned the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando and pretended to be Madonna’s assistant, and placed him on hold for 45 minutes.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
One cheeky Instagram Reel sees the two sitting across from each other at a table as Bradford pretended to lecture Brunette.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Einbinder, playing along as though she’d been caught, pretended a producer was calling her offstage and got up to leave while the set erupted.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
Analysts published mock drafts with the Panthers taking Jordyn Tyson and Omar Cooper Jr.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The segment was the comedian's mock alternative speech to the White House Correspondents' dinner, which aired two days before the real event the Trumps attended together ended in gunfire.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ferro was arrested in May 2025 and found in possession of two firearms and a fake ID.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
One tweet features an AI cover of a fake Slayr album called BURGERMAN that imagines him as a half-burger, half-human hybrid engulfed in a hellish flood of grease and cheese splatter.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The body was discovered Friday evening inside the house, yet detectives were unable to access it until Saturday due to the risk posed by venturing inside the charred house, according to police.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
-
That was the question posed to Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman less than 24 hours after Orlando was eliminated from the first round of the NBA playoffs for a third consecutive season.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The state paid $13 million in cash for Waterbury and assumed $22 million in liabilities.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
However, the expansion assumed that the state had a nearly $100 billion surplus, which never materialized.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
The 29-year-old, who lives in Texas, sustained a concussion and strained muscles in her ankle and neck.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
-
While the Chinese model reduces upfront budget pressures on fiscally-strained African states, governments across the continent will now rely heavily on a small number of firms for hardware maintenance, modernization, and training.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The sophomore third baseman answered the call, blasting a double to the fence in left-center field to clear the bases.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
Spain's double totality One of the most fascinating aspects of this eclipse cycle is Spain's unique position.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
The federal judge in that case ruled that a jury could find that State Farm had acted in bad faith if the plaintiffs' lawyers demonstrated that the company ignored certain kinds of hail damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The April 22 incident took place during dismissal in the Hancock County School District, which said students acted quickly to safely stop the bus, contact emergency services and remain calm until help arrived.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those elements include the air surrounding the instrument, simulated using acoustic wave equations.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 May 2026
-
While this is of course a completely new experience for me, Ari and I have simulated it countless times before.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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