1
as in posing
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
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2
as in simulating
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in hypocritical
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretending
Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
In the end, no one was pretending, unless pretense paid the bills.
—Lavender Au, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Fields slept at downtown bus stops, often gathering with groups or pretending to have a firearm in her coat to stay safe.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
The individual pretending to be a deputy first instructed the user to pay the money by PayPal, but then instructed the man to use an ATM and provided a QR code, according to the complaint.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2025
Other incidents posted to social media and reviewed by CNN did not result in criminal charges, but clearly depicted people pretending to be immigration officers.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
The man sent text messages from his deceased wife's phone to her family, pretending to be her.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
Beneath the prosthetics and punchlines lies a story about the cost of pretending and the possibility of renewal.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
—Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
According to the outlet and several videos circulating on social media, Mojito tricked pedestrians by pretending to inject them with a syringe in a series of viral videos.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
In the end, no one was pretending, unless pretense paid the bills.
—Lavender Au, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Fields slept at downtown bus stops, often gathering with groups or pretending to have a firearm in her coat to stay safe.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
The individual pretending to be a deputy first instructed the user to pay the money by PayPal, but then instructed the man to use an ATM and provided a QR code, according to the complaint.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2025
Other incidents posted to social media and reviewed by CNN did not result in criminal charges, but clearly depicted people pretending to be immigration officers.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
The man sent text messages from his deceased wife's phone to her family, pretending to be her.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
Beneath the prosthetics and punchlines lies a story about the cost of pretending and the possibility of renewal.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Verb
-
The audience for wax museums is melting away in the digital age, when posing with a static dummy has come to feel rather quaint.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The Netflix series is based on the Danish format Det Sidste Ord (The Last Word), which offers final interviews where major cultural icons, whether from the world of the arts, sports, politics or elsewhere, can look back on their lives with only someone posing questions in front of them.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This resolution strengthens the foundation for simulating reactor behavior and assures designers that graphite will perform its duties as expected.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
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All this change has caused concern among competitors, some of which have been simulating the new designs for over two years.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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However, his latest mistake is very hypocritical and raises some questions about double standards in his coaching.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Most of these hypocritical legislators are near the completion of their involvement in the Capitol thanks to term limits.—
John Moorlach,
Oc Register,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vought, who helped write the policy blueprint known as Project 2025, is playing a major role during the shutdown, including on decisions over whether there are mass layoffs of federal employees instead of furloughs and what funding is cut and what is allowed to flow.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
George Clooney is playing a movie star, and that was sort of built into the idea.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With all members present, Johnson can currently only afford to lose two Republican votes on any bill, assuming all Democrats are opposed.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Players today come into the league rightly assuming that audiences for professional women’s sports are there.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For example, the Europeans have been unwilling to confiscate frozen Russian assets to raise more money for Ukraine, earning duplicitous praise from the Kremlin.—
VERONICA ANGHEL,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Sep. 2025
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Yet pop culture continues to fixate on these single women, with horror movies in particular framing them as duplicitous and unstable—threats to the public good.—
Beatrice Loayza,
The Atlantic,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Five years later Augusta had a stroke, with Ed acting as primary caretaker.—
JR Radcliffe,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Henson eventually stepped away from acting, and, according to his LinkedIn profile, earned an MFA from Columbia University in 2015.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Just don't glaze because that's heaping someone with excessive and insincere praise.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
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The last time the Trump administration threatened to escalate in a manner that would have outstripped its predecessor, was to implement secondary sanctions against India and China for buying Russian oil – in response to months of insincere Russian diplomacy.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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