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
Harry Harris, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
Griffin has never pretended to be a radical innovator or a savant.
—Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
In the meetup, the buyer was examining the cards, pretended to pay, sprayed the seller with pepper spray and then ran away with the cards.
—Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Escape and aftermath The victim returned home, locked the doors, and called Jones, who pretended to be supportive and then phoned 911 despite having orchestrated the attack, prosecutors said.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 12 June 2026
For years, notarios — notary publics — in Miami have pretended to be immigration lawyers, with devastating consequences, like financial ruin or deportations orders for the immigrants who trust them.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
King pretended to be dead as Lee tried to wrench open the cash register.
—Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
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
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
In the first incident, the victim pretended to sleep during the attack.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
Griffin has never pretended to be a radical innovator or a savant.
—Gary Sernovitz, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
In the meetup, the buyer was examining the cards, pretended to pay, sprayed the seller with pepper spray and then ran away with the cards.
—Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Escape and aftermath The victim returned home, locked the doors, and called Jones, who pretended to be supportive and then phoned 911 despite having orchestrated the attack, prosecutors said.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 12 June 2026
For years, notarios — notary publics — in Miami have pretended to be immigration lawyers, with devastating consequences, like financial ruin or deportations orders for the immigrants who trust them.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
King pretended to be dead as Lee tried to wrench open the cash register.
—Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
After a season of travel, video and phone calls and texts speaking with agents, scouts, coaches, family members and those around these players, here is my final mock draft for the 2026 NHL Draft.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
-
The mock-neck adds a chic touch, and the color selection is genuinely impressive.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
22 June 2026
Adjective
-
Authorities say the operation powered fake websites built to steal credit card numbers, passwords and other personal information.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
None of that makes the project fake.—
Gabriel Alin Zainescu,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The Spanish Navy has carried out a successful at-sea test of the Hornet Block 1 interceptor, a new system designed to counter the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drone swarms.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
-
When an audience member posed a hypothetical choice between a flawed but distinctive film and a polished but unremarkable one, Leung said either would do, arguing that cinema’s goal was sincerity, in performance or in a director’s expression, rather than polish.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Police say Crash Team investigators responded and assumed control over the investigation.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
-
Still, as the face of Manchester’s rejuvenation, Burnham assumed a US governor-style regional leader profile.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
Austin Nieves, a recent transplant to the area and the man who had brought this brave group together, broke the strained silence by handing out beers.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Dani provides the voiceover, filled with strained metaphors about earthquakes and sermons on the importance of summer, but the pretense that the dialogue is taken from his interrogation is quickly abandoned.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Harper finished with three hits, which included a solo shot, his 17th this season, and a double, giving him five extra base hits in the last two games.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
-
The right-hander surrendered a solo home run to left fielder Casey Schmitt and a run-scoring double to center fielder Drew Gilbert in the fourth, then put runners on the corners.—
Tyler Carmona,
Miami Herald,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
The Board’s recommendations are advisory, and Meta is not required to implement them, though the company has historically acted on roughly 75 percent of Board recommendations, which makes its response to this particular ruling worth watching.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
23 June 2026
-
But the legislature has since acted to bolster local authority to regulate oil operations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
Aaru, a two-year-old AI startup, simulated all of those voters—agents built from the kind of data the company collects, like credit card purchasing history, food-delivery orders, and demographic records—and tried to predict how the votes would be cast.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
-
In the last full-scale drill three years ago, crews simulated a hostage situation involving an explosive device, highlighting how the scenarios evolve over time.—
Hannah McIlree,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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