pretenders

noun

plural of pretender
as in frauds
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

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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 pretenders 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 These two pretenders reflect an insider debate whose subject is not the existence of the Islamic Republic but the best method of its survival. — Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026 The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 13 Jan. 2026 Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026 With the monetary system in a free-fall, some Iranians would rather have a beneficent king than all these pretenders oh-so-interested in the people. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026 The Patriots are contenders, the Bears pretenders. — Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025 Discernment in separating potential winners from the pretenders is a positive, if sometimes manic and messy, process. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenders
  1. frauds
  2. fakes
  3. shams
  4. charlatans
  5. impostors
  6. fakers
Noun
  • Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds.
    — Joe Otterson, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Lowry, in the meantime, would embark on a two-decade career in a league that spits out frauds on the regular.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Definition of frauds
Noun
  • In this case, as staff eventually discovered, the box had been returned – but the books themselves had been replaced with fakes.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026
  • Some of the manuscripts were never returned, while others were replaced with fakes.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of fakes
Noun
  • Treat it as the foundation for a beautifully layered bed or add the matching pillow shams to streamline the look.
    — Vy Yang, Architectural Digest, 17 July 2026
  • Not washing your duvet cover (and shams, if applicable) in a dedicated load.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 July 2026
Definition of shams
Noun
  • In place of San Francisco’s decaying arts bohemia of poseurs and charlatans, they can be said to be creating an alternate bohemia.
    — Michael Bernick, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year.
    — Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
Definition of charlatans
Noun
  • Then check your insurance account and watch for imposters who know just enough to sound convincing.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 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 impostors
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 fakers

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Cite this Entry

“Pretenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenders. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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