1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat
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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
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
The five suspects allegedly pretended to be FBI agents to rob a reshipping business located in Portland, prosecutors said.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 6 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
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
The five suspects allegedly pretended to be FBI agents to rob a reshipping business located in Portland, prosecutors said.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
The conversations, of course, were mock for journalistic purposes.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The piping adds an athletic flair to the mock-neck sweater and sweatpant set, and small slits on the front of the hems add extra interest.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
1 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
-
The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Normally, such readers are assumed to be older.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
5 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
-
With Ella Toone or Park in the No 10 role, the former Bayern Munich player will add balance in a double pivot alongside Hinata Miyazawa allowing United more control in midfield.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The Royals’ defense erased a potential rally in the fourth inning after Cameron surrendered a double to Rengifo and walked first baseman Oswald Peraza.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 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
-
The exercise also simulated a launch pad abort scenario, confirming that the safety systems respond correctly under emergency conditions.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
However, the model, which simulated the area’s climate, snowpack, and water movements, consistently pointed to 2018 as the start of a new, less healthy phase for the glacier.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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