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
Relevance
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
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 pretending
Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Interspersed in the narrative, there are South Asian folktales about a jackal who is punished for pretending to be a king and a foolish man who puts all his eggs in a basket.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
During that time, McComb started pretending to eat his food and then giving him small bites from a spoon to make sure the dog ate.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Company Values as Competitive Advantage Let’s stop pretending values are soft stuff.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
The trial for a Colorado man accused of killing his wife after allegedly sending her disturbing messages — while pretending to be her ex-boyfriend — has begun.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
At the start of episode 8, Cara, a reserved 29-year-old In-N-Out worker, had the cash in her box, while her bestie Samantha, a 41-year-old cop pretending to be a stay-at-home mom, had a clue that the secret millionaire was someone with two sisters.
—Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2025
After her teammates mobbed her in celebration, Rodman stepped away and grabbed her lower back, pretending to seize up with pain — only to stand up tall and laugh while flipping her pink hair over both shoulders.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Gen Z is done pretending that outdated workplace norms, designed by and for men, still make sense.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
This prompt gives you enough talking points to contribute thoughtfully without pretending to be an expert.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Interspersed in the narrative, there are South Asian folktales about a jackal who is punished for pretending to be a king and a foolish man who puts all his eggs in a basket.
—Malaka Gharib, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
During that time, McComb started pretending to eat his food and then giving him small bites from a spoon to make sure the dog ate.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Company Values as Competitive Advantage Let’s stop pretending values are soft stuff.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
The trial for a Colorado man accused of killing his wife after allegedly sending her disturbing messages — while pretending to be her ex-boyfriend — has begun.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
At the start of episode 8, Cara, a reserved 29-year-old In-N-Out worker, had the cash in her box, while her bestie Samantha, a 41-year-old cop pretending to be a stay-at-home mom, had a clue that the secret millionaire was someone with two sisters.
—Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2025
After her teammates mobbed her in celebration, Rodman stepped away and grabbed her lower back, pretending to seize up with pain — only to stand up tall and laugh while flipping her pink hair over both shoulders.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Gen Z is done pretending that outdated workplace norms, designed by and for men, still make sense.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Verb
-
While posing for photos at the event, Princess Charlene was joined by filmmaker Blanca Li, and her sister-in-law Princess Caroline of Hanover, among others.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Artists, designers, stylists, actors and musicians came out from all corners of the industry, posing on the red carpet and dancing to the sounds of Star Amerasu, the evening’s DJ.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Nvidia’s Omniverse allows users to put together world scenes digitally, simulating a physical environment.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Jan. 2025
-
In addition to large-scale data theft, economic disruption, and intelligence breaches, quantum computers could be used for malicious purposes such as simulating and synthesizing chemical weapons or optimizing the flight trajectories of a swarm of drones.—
Charina Chou,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s no question which member of Congress put on the year’s most hypocritical legislative performance.—
Carl P. Leubsdorf,
Twin Cities,
23 July 2025
-
There’s just this hypocritical system in which there is demand for immigrant labor in many industries, along with demonization of these very contributors.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Further factions emerge from there, as people start playing the game within the Squid Game, forming pockets of friendships and alliances, real and fake.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Instead of assuming what people want or need, AI and machine learning analyze actual data and recommend alternatives based on individual situations.—
Alison Coleman,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
-
The new policy also takes quite a leap by assuming that most of the nation’s elderly population have ever even heard of Twitter, including the New Jersey caller’s 96-year-old mother.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Along comes Brian’s duplicitous ex-wife Debrah (Taja V. Simpson), his nerdy son BJ (Jermaine Harris) and the groom Zavier (Xavier Smalls).—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
14 July 2025
-
This is a duplicitous, murderous regime that isn’t interested in dialogue.—
Danielle Wallace , Beth Bailey,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2025
Verb
-
Right before graduation, Smalls found a two-year program in the William Esper Studio in New York City which teaches acting techniques such as the Meisner Technique.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
-
When the acting dream started Growing up in Sacramento, Smalls was a three-sport athlete in high school attending West Campus, Rosemont and Foothill in North Highlands.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The movie does not earn the right for such an insincere have-your-I-Heart-the-’90s-cake-and-eat-it-too gesture.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 July 2025
-
King’s typical approach to the genre — gifted protagonists facing off against chilly government entities or insincere spiritual forces within a horror context — has fallen out of vogue in favor of comparable superhero origin stories with elevated skills and stakes.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share