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
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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
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
-
The bot-detection firm Cyabra analyzed seven days of activity around the ad and determined that 15 percent of the TikTok accounts commenting on it were fake but had created a disproportionately large percentage of the uproar.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
To return the favor, Graham proposes a fake dating scheme with Wells to make her crush, singer Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), jealous.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Several Cardinals posed for photos with them and some even gave away bats and baseballs.—
Warren Mayes,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
-
The actor and director posed at Palais des Festivals during the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival in a black-and-white pair of Nike sneakers that read as a saddle shoe, a low-profile lace-up style that sits somewhere between an oxford and an early sneaker.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Israel said that al-Haddad had assumed the role of Hamas commander after his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
-
Even Anthropic has assumed a lot about its freedom and authority, having just announced a new tool called Mythos, an AI model that finds security vulnerabilities in software and networked resources.—
Olivier Sylvain,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, reductions in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are expected to increase food insecurity among older adults, placing even more pressure on already strained systems.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
The Thunder are 8-0 in the postseason despite their second-best player Jalen Williams missing the entirety of the playoffs with a strained hamstring.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 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 21 May. 2026.
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