as in hypocritical
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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
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Recent Examples of pretending
Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Josh Owens, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Kingston police launched an investigation last week after the Silver Lake Regional High School employee, whose name was not released, was allegedly seen having conversations with a social media streamer pretending to be a young girl.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
The opening scene of Sweeney's character shows her being filmed by her housekeeper, pretending to be a dog, so it could be uploaded online.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Jeff claimed on World Radio in 2023 that Schipper had sent his parents letters from prison pretending to be a Southern woman who had experienced her own kidnapping, chosen to forgive her kidnapper and asked the judge for a lesser sentence for him.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Mark Nacht, 65, of Waltham, allegedly communicated with two undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one pretending to be the girl, and the other purporting to be a relative of the 13-year-old.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Nobody is pretending this will be easy.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
In other words, resilience is not about sealing the wound and pretending it no longer aches.
—Keith M. Bellizzi, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Given the dollar amounts of current NIL and revenue sharing agreements, pretending college athletes are not employees is ludicrous.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
—Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
In the office a week later, Jones continued pacing back and forth in the warehouse, pretending to be in a war movie while Buckley was in the hallway, calling the police.
—Josh Owens, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Kingston police launched an investigation last week after the Silver Lake Regional High School employee, whose name was not released, was allegedly seen having conversations with a social media streamer pretending to be a young girl.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
The opening scene of Sweeney's character shows her being filmed by her housekeeper, pretending to be a dog, so it could be uploaded online.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Jeff claimed on World Radio in 2023 that Schipper had sent his parents letters from prison pretending to be a Southern woman who had experienced her own kidnapping, chosen to forgive her kidnapper and asked the judge for a lesser sentence for him.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Mark Nacht, 65, of Waltham, allegedly communicated with two undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one pretending to be the girl, and the other purporting to be a relative of the 13-year-old.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Nobody is pretending this will be easy.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
In other words, resilience is not about sealing the wound and pretending it no longer aches.
—Keith M. Bellizzi, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Given the dollar amounts of current NIL and revenue sharing agreements, pretending college athletes are not employees is ludicrous.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Adjective
-
How hypocritical that of me, Amy, and Gretchen, the only one married is me.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
That’s not just awkward; that’s hypocritical.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The snapshot shows a smiling Louis posing with his arms crossed, wearing a blue half-zip sweater.—
Katie Kindelan,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The post features a photo of the new couple posing in front of Disney's Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom in Florida.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That means trains are now operating on a full schedule, simulating real service, to prove the system is ready for the public.—
Amanda Starrantino,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Games like Space Engineers and Surviving Mars also do a great job of simulating energy bottlenecks; one of the major challenges of powering a real moon base isn't so much generating enough power as delivering it efficiently and reliably.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Their duplicitous conduct during negotiations is countered by the cold honesty of Iranian missiles.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Sailing aboard The Hispaniola, Jim and Bess are caught between the charming, terrifying pirate Long John Silver, and the debonair, duplicitous British agent Aaron Graham.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When the reports surfaced that the Saudis were cutting off LIV’s funding, the league was playing a tournament in Mexico City.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Promotion to League One in just their second attempt after taking 132 years to reach the EFL is one thing, but their playing style under former Brentford and Northampton goalkeeper Andy Woodman only adds to the curiosity around them.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cook has led the company for almost 15 years, assuming the role shortly before founder Steve Jobs’ death in 2011.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But Europe is also making a show of assuming more responsibility for Arctic operations.—
Alan Crawford,
Bloomberg,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However, Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, felt Lorincz’s courtroom apology was insincere.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Using artificial intelligence to compose a social media post in the wake of a tragedy, or using it to write a fan letter to an Olympic athlete, comes off as insincere.—
Gayle Rogers,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Lakers were connected, apparently having had time to adjust to the loss of their two leading scorers, LeBron James acting as a brilliant playmaker for scorching hot shooters like Kennard, who hit all five of his treys in scoring a career playoff-high 27 points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Joseph Gerbasi, who spent decades in the division, retired in March of 2025 from his role as acting deputy chief for policy in the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, a group that has now been merged into the division's section on money laundering.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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