1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
This time, the scammers pretended to be representatives of Indiana and Maryland’s courts.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Moïse told jurors she was shot first, then pretended to be dead.
—Tania Francois, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The fake store contained an app that pretended to come from Brazil’s social security system, which Kaspersky analyzed and found to be malicious.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Federal agents pretended to be NYPD plainclothes officers looking for a missing child to kidnap a Columbia University student in university housing.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Then, an experimenter presented the bonobo with two empty, transparent cups and pretended to pour juice from an empty pitcher into each cup.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Korea’s Kim Seon-yeong and Sweden’s Isabella Wranå pretended their brooms were air guitars.
—Zack Pierce, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Best of all, Andrew Guest and Daniel Destin Cretton’s limited series is dependent on and a showcase for its two leads in ways previous Marvel projects only pretended to be.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 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
The criminals pretended to work for the FBI.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
This time, the scammers pretended to be representatives of Indiana and Maryland’s courts.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Moïse told jurors she was shot first, then pretended to be dead.
—Tania Francois, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The fake store contained an app that pretended to come from Brazil’s social security system, which Kaspersky analyzed and found to be malicious.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Federal agents pretended to be NYPD plainclothes officers looking for a missing child to kidnap a Columbia University student in university housing.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Then, an experimenter presented the bonobo with two empty, transparent cups and pretended to pour juice from an empty pitcher into each cup.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Korea’s Kim Seon-yeong and Sweden’s Isabella Wranå pretended their brooms were air guitars.
—Zack Pierce, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Best of all, Andrew Guest and Daniel Destin Cretton’s limited series is dependent on and a showcase for its two leads in ways previous Marvel projects only pretended to be.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
In his new mock draft, Miller has the Bills picking up a key weapon.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In addition to the original trunk and items on display, the Center for Sacramento History and the history museum created a mock trunk inspired by the original for school programs throughout the region.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While people sometimes express this view in jest, others believe the fake environment borders on a cultural abomination.—
Adam Kadlac,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
-
With the Heat’s social media team posting a video of the dunks, Jakucionis joked that the video is fake.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that the strikes posed no risk of contamination, according to state media.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Scout seems insightful, based on its response to a question posed by The Associated Press about why one of Silicon Valley’s brightest stars faded away a decade ago.—
Michael Liedtke,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many shots audiences assumed were digital were actually practical effects using Jay’s wheelchair design.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This all assumed that radiation, matter, and curvature were the only allowable components to the Universe.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Caissie was a late addition to Friday's lineup after first baseman Chris Morel was scratched because of a strained oblique.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Caissie was a late addition to Friday’s lineup after first baseman Chris Morel was scratched because of a strained oblique.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sinner, the 2024 Miami Open champion, became the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the Sunshine Double — winning Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back — and the first in history to win the double without losing a set.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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Seven stacks of tiny paper cups were arranged to the left, next to packets of Nescafé, pouches of two-minute noodles, and a double gas burner connected to the cylinder—the main tool of his trade.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The man who crashed an explosive-laden truck into a Michigan synagogue where scores of children were at daycare acted as an operative of Hezbollah, the foreign terrorist organization based in Lebanon, federal officials said March 30.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Firms acted like the metaphorical kid in a candy store with talent, grabbing every shiny new candidate that crossed their applicant tracking system, with some, like Amazon, even doubling their headcount between 2019 and 2021.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To make this work, the researchers first simulated what these photonuclear events should look like.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
These additional effects are entirely simulated.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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