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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
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
In late 2025, an East Los Angeles woman shared a message with the public, pleading for the return of a necklace holding her late daughter's ashes, which was stolen when a woman pretended to ask her for directions and hugged her in return.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
That's something even Tesla has only pretended to do.
—Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Moton, covered in Liuzzo’s blood, pretended to be dead, then set off to find help after the men departed.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Young Mu-hee pretended not to remember what happened to her mother and father, thinking then her aunt and uncle might love her.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Rudd then pretended to be in severe pain as paramedics hauled him away, presumably to a hospital.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 13 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
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
In late 2025, an East Los Angeles woman shared a message with the public, pleading for the return of a necklace holding her late daughter's ashes, which was stolen when a woman pretended to ask her for directions and hugged her in return.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
That's something even Tesla has only pretended to do.
—Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Moton, covered in Liuzzo’s blood, pretended to be dead, then set off to find help after the men departed.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Young Mu-hee pretended not to remember what happened to her mother and father, thinking then her aunt and uncle might love her.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Rudd then pretended to be in severe pain as paramedics hauled him away, presumably to a hospital.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
During the test, teams will run through the full range of operations that would take place on launch day, including loading the SLS rocket with 700,000 gallons cryogenic liquid propellant that is later drained and conducting a mock countdown.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Kids will have a blast at the Seaport Museum next door, especially when exploring the mock-village section and tall-mast whaling ship.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Every morning, animal care manager Kim Carr stops by to prepare breakfast, scattering treats across their enclosures that are filled with fake tree trunks, log piles and hanging branches — an organic jungle gym for creatures that are born to climb and play.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The allegedly fake document surfaced as CapRadio, a nonprofit broadcaster that is licensed to Sacramento State, underwent its standard annual audit in fall 2022.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Over the past several years, Maryland’s legislature has taken important steps to confront the growing threat posed by PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, to public health and the environment.—
Peter Blair,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Hailey Bieber posed in nothing but a sculptural firefly by Blumarine for Vogue Australia.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With 650,000 fans expected to jam the city over the course of the month-long tournament, Burks assumed hundreds of other Kansas City homeowners must surely be doing the same, yes?—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2026
-
But those estimates assumed current policies would remain in place.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Travel from Canada was notably down compared to previous years due to strained relations between the two countries.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In the Bronx, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had a strained relationship, but still won the 2009 World Series together, and now sit on the same TV set regularly as analysts for MLB on FOX.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In another twist late Saturday night, the Canadian women's team was accused by match officials of the same double-touch violation, this time by veteran skip Rachel Homan in the first end against Switzerland.—
STEVE DOUGLAS,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The home crowd favorite is coming back from tearing her ACL and suffering a double leg break in April of last year, only returning to competition last month ahead of the Olympics.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The UConn athletic department acted fast after coach Dan Hurley – and Georgetown coach Ed Cooley – commented on the lack of enthusiasm from the home crowd and some empty seats at men’s basketball games this season.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement White, who believes Stephen acted on impulse, is unequivocal about how his character feels in that moment.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The simulation is not the thing simulated.—
Walter Quattrociocchi,
Scientific American,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Relational commitments are simulated without persistence.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
