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
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
One cheeky Instagram Reel sees the two sitting across from each other at a table as Bradford pretended to lecture Brunette.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The hackers, thought to be working on behalf of the DPRK, approached Drift team members at a cryptocurrency conference in late 2025 and pretended to be from a trading firm looking to build on the blockchain protocol.
—Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
Einbinder, playing along as though she’d been caught, pretended a producer was calling her offstage and got up to leave while the set erupted.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Call center workers often pretended to be Apple or Microsoft employees.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
Such stories play upon our own imaginings; anyone who’s run a toy car across the landscape of a floor, or pretended a planter was a jungle, or made a mountain out of a mound, or projected themselves into a model train layout — indeed, a scene here — will relate.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
In the end, Zac – who pretended to be rich – and Sharma – who pretended to be his mentor – were both imposters.
—Frank Langfitt, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
The criminals pretended to work for the FBI.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 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
Albini phoned the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando and pretended to be Madonna’s assistant, and placed him on hold for 45 minutes.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
One cheeky Instagram Reel sees the two sitting across from each other at a table as Bradford pretended to lecture Brunette.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The hackers, thought to be working on behalf of the DPRK, approached Drift team members at a cryptocurrency conference in late 2025 and pretended to be from a trading firm looking to build on the blockchain protocol.
—Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
Einbinder, playing along as though she’d been caught, pretended a producer was calling her offstage and got up to leave while the set erupted.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Call center workers often pretended to be Apple or Microsoft employees.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
Such stories play upon our own imaginings; anyone who’s run a toy car across the landscape of a floor, or pretended a planter was a jungle, or made a mountain out of a mound, or projected themselves into a model train layout — indeed, a scene here — will relate.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
In the end, Zac – who pretended to be rich – and Sharma – who pretended to be his mentor – were both imposters.
—Frank Langfitt, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
The criminals pretended to work for the FBI.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
Many have given the 49ers an offensive tackle early in their mock drafts as a potential replacement for the 38-year-old Williams.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
That’s it for our final mock draft of the 2026 NFL Draft season!—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Between theater games, fake-blood logistics and a Grim Reaper costume, the teens begin to deal with their secrets and the truth of one fateful night.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Police believe most of the ransom notes received were fake.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
National Guardsmen lined the rope where guests had posed earlier for photographs.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos' daughter Elliott posed for a sweet shot with her dad before heading off to prom on June 2, 2021.—
Lindy Segal,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then the ball was tipped, and Hyland assumed his role as an irritant of Denver’s corner shooters.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The experience gave me a front-row seat to the coast’s dramatic beauty, and also a lesson in the abundance of the Arctic, a region often assumed to be barren.—
Karen Gardiner,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Chinese officials framed the panda transfer as part of a broader effort to strengthen scientific cooperation and cultural ties between the countries, even as relations remain strained.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Negron said the organizers looked carefully at the strained relations between the two countries and recent violence reports earlier this year in Puerto Vallarta, which is further south of the race’s finish line.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Stephon Castle and Deni Avdija received double techs for this sequence at the end of Spurs-Blazers Game 4.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The first two Washington Nationals batters reached with a walk and a double in the third inning Saturday, giving the visitors runners on second and third with no outs.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jasso, who acted alone, shot and killed himself.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Popular with airboaters, froggers and fishermen, the swampy muck beneath the water may have acted as a pincushion, essentially swallowing the disabled DC-9 aircraft.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Boone said Carlos Rodón, set back by some hamstring tightness, simulated two innings in a bullpen session on Wednesday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The team members simulated different atomic arrays to get a sense of how fast each size could crack the two main encryption schemes, called Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC).—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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