pretender

noun

pri-ˈten-dər How to pronounce pretender (audio)
Definition of pretendernext
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 pretender To add to the challenge, Brady also left his mark on the latest pretender to his crown. — Peter Carline, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Dogs can tell the difference between an actual alpha and a pretender. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 5 June 2026 The three-row SUV market has become a gladiator arena of family haulers, luxury pretenders and oversized fuel guzzlers. — Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 22 May 2026 Now, hardship seems to be an end in itself, a battle scar or badge of honor that distinguishes true backpackers from mere pretenders. — Tim Brinkhof, Time, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
  1. fraud
  2. fake
  3. sham
  4. impostor
  5. deceiver
  6. charlatan
  7. faker
  8. mountebank
Noun
  • Surveys show that both Democrats and Republicans believe that sizable proportions of the other side favor wrongful imprisonment, tax fraud, embezzlement, adultery, animal abuse, and child pornography.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
  • None of these behaviors automatically indicates fraud or higher risk.
    — Artem Lalaiants, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • At least being listed on Temu is a warning in and of itself; nobody can argue that these fakes are being passed off as the real thing.
    — Stephen Edelstein, The Drive, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The promotional materials are keen to point out that this is more than a cheap fake, no mere actor or illusion but, in some important way, Dalí.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Noun
  • These sheets and shams are made from Oexo-Tex Certified Organic microfiber material that’s light but surprisingly resilient.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Plus, the set comes with two shams to complete your sanctuary.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of sham
Noun
  • The hacker set a trap designed to lure the impostor into claiming more Bitcoin.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Along with being a calf-sticking impostor, Conrad, according to Hemingway, was a malicious defamer.
    — Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of impostor
Noun
  • The actors are perfectly cast, starting with Marmaï’s likable Antoine, the only player here not being the deceiver.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 12 May 2026
  • The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of deceiver
Noun
  • Despite the claims of any number of charlatans who prey on the American brand of cuddly benighted ignorance, the universe will not manifest an alternate reality for anyone who simply wishes for it with sufficient longing.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • You and many others have been taken in by a lowlife charlatan.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of charlatan
Noun
  • To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.
    — Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of faker
Noun
  • Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.
    — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of mountebank

Browse Nearby Words

pretended
pretender
pretenders
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abandon

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All