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
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Faced with one of Musk’s seemingly impossible mandates, those strong employees rarely pretended to already know the solution.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 May 2026
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
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
Samara Weaving once pretended to be her lookalike friend, Margot Robbie.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Faced with one of Musk’s seemingly impossible mandates, those strong employees rarely pretended to already know the solution.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
Lewis oversaw workshops with school kids himself, traveling to schools in his free time, staging mock trials and handing out copies of legal documents, like the Constitution.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2026
-
Each year, a different brother played Paddy, lying in the coffin, where he was roasted by a series of mock eulogies.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the show, shy Briar U music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and cocky team captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) begin fake-dating to try to catch the attention of Hannah’s crush.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
-
The schemes involve the use of fake court documents regarding false traffic and criminal infractions.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Upon coming ashore, Gleitz posed for wire service photographers and reporters, showing and telling them how the Oyster was keeping time just fine.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Steyer then posed for a photo with Hernandez and the athlete's mother, Nereyda Hernandez.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Top prospect Gage Jump was called up and assumed a spot in the rotation after starting later Tuesday.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2026
-
Wang was elected to the City Council in November 2022 and eventually assumed the job of mayor, a position that rotates among the council members.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Last year, Hernández played in just one rehab game returning from a strained groin.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Large parts of its war effort are now unmanned, the robots, drones, and remotely piloted tanks giving it a sudden, albeit fragile, edge over a lumbering and strained Russian invader.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Its double-height ceilings in the living room provide the perfect acoustics when performers use the grand piano for impromptu concerts.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
Mihyia Davis stroked the next pitch off Slimp’s glove in left for a double and Williams moved to third.—
Tim Willert,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
India's regional peers have acted — some going beyond expectations — to get ahead of the inflation curve.—
Sri Jegarajah,Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
-
McCarthy hasn't acted much since The Wire ended, as he's been focused on his filmmaking.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Guided by this concept, the team simulated more than 1,500 robot configurations to identify a design close to their theoretical performance limit.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
27 May 2026
-
However, in the various productivity tasks simulated in the Geekbench test, the iPad Pro pulled far and away from the Surface Pro, seen below.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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