pretending 1 of 2

adjective

as in hypocritical

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pretending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pretend
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
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

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
Adjective
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding. — Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
One member of a relationship accidentally spills secrets because they get seduced by someone pretending to be the other member of their relationship. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2026 And not wanting to recognize their identity, their culture, their background and their connection to their fellow Palestinians is like putting your head in the sand and pretending there is no problem. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 9 Nov. 2026 The shooting prompted national media coverage, with news outlets in Georgia describing Brayden as an outgoing child and a fan of Spider-Man who loved playing as the superhero by pretending to shoot webs and jump around. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026 Honor isn't pretending that the Magic 9 can go toe-to-toe with Hollywood-grade camera rigs. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026 For a while, Two Shell’s antics—like sending in decoy DJs pretending to mix—were divisive, but at least the music was exciting. — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026 Or just going on with her life, sipping margs by the pool and pretending nothing happened? — Andy Richter With Aaron Karo, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026 There is a difference between being genuinely threatened and only pretending to be. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026 None of this requires pretending a test strip is mass spectrometry. — Dr. Shravani Durbhakula, Time, 1 Nov. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
  1. hypocritical
  2. posing
  3. simulating
  4. duplicitous
  5. playing
  6. assuming
  7. insincere
  8. acting
Adjective
  • The fine was controversial to begin with, as fans and pundits pointed out the NFL’s business with beer sponsors such as Bud Light and called the sensitivity over the celebration hypocritical.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In his appeal, Juszczyk also argued that fining players for pretending to drink beer was hypocritical given the NFL’s beer sponsorships.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Verb
  • As the outbreak continues to grow, doctors and health officials are concerned about a rising number of cases among pregnant women, posing a risk to both mom and baby.
    — Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut down power lines that were posing a hazard, officials said.
    — Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of posing
Verb
  • Some examples include importing a long spreadsheet of customer records, simulating how an accounting batch will affect the general ledger before posting it or previewing the impact of a transaction on a project budget.
    — Steve Cangiano, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Back in 2016, in the turquoise waters of Tetiaroa island, Gagnon and Sachs were tasked with simulating the impact of rising levels of planet-heating pollution on a small patch of coral reef.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of simulating
Adjective
  • Dinklage is perfect casting as the slightly duplicitous Basket Weaver, an artisan who has his own surprises in store.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • At least Mark Zuckerberg had the decency to be duplicitous, Altman is just openly consumed by the mania of trying to win the most important technological arms race since the atom bomb.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of duplicitous
Verb
  • Saddiq Bey had 13 points for New Orleans, which was playing the opener of a two-game California trip.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The digital creator has gone viral a number of times in the past for his whiteface sketches, from playing a rowdy redneck to Erika Kirk.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • Your interests, preferences, or plans may have shifted while other people were assuming everything stayed the same.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2026
  • House Democrats are staring down brewing fights as younger lawmakers jostle for power and influence ahead of the party assuming its largest majority in decades.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of assuming
Adjective
  • Many commenters accuse her of being insincere and suggest that her statements are merely a tactic to gain votes before the election.
    — Theodoric Meyer, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2026
  • None of the warnings being made about these models by industry insiders are at all insincere.
    — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of insincere
Verb
  • The deal comes as Druski, the stage name of Drew Desbordes, has cemented himself as one of the biggest crossover stars of the creator economy, having appeared in commercials and acting roles (Grown-ish, Praise This) along with hosting gigs.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Filguerias was likely acting as the pilot monitoring, rather than the pilot flying.
    — Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of acting

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Cite this Entry

“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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