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

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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 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 This is where hype turns into hard numbers, and contenders start getting separated from pretenders. — Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026 With a light two-game Good Friday schedule, this is a good time to take a closer look at the contenders and pretenders as the season gets down to the wire. — Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2026 The alliance successfully supported Maria Cristiana, who was acting as regent for Isabella II in Spain and had allied herself with the liberals against the pretender Don Carlos in the First Carlist War (1833–39). — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 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
  • Made false claims of massive fraud of millions of undocumented people voting.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
  • The consignor was later identified as an accomplice in a separate auction fraud case in Hebei province.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • Some of the manuscripts were never returned, while others were replaced with fakes.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
  • The model can spot obvious fakes, but Fleek also runs quality-check centers in Karachi and Delhi that inspect items from brands and categories its data has flagged as frequently counterfeited.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 July 2026
Definition of fake
Noun
  • Not washing your duvet cover (and shams, if applicable) in a dedicated load.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 July 2026
  • Eight received 40 Hz light and sound seven received white noise and steady light as a sham.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026
Definition of sham
Noun
  • Such impostor scams, when a criminal pretends to be a legitimate business or even a government official, are proliferating and morphing at an accelerated rate as artificial intelligence makes impersonation easier than ever.
    — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026
  • Heroes have to figure out who's who, what's going on, and if longtime friends are actual allies or extraterrestrial imposters.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 July 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
  • Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year.
    — Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
  • To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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