Synonyms of pretending

pretending 1 of 2

adjective

as in hypocritical

Related Words

• hypocritical
• duplicitous
• insincere
• posing
• dissimulating
• dissembling
• bluffing
• unscrupulous
• untrustworthy
• unreliable
• equivocating
• unbelievable
• deceptive
• lying
• evasive
• sneaky
• treacherous
• wily
• deceitful
• undependable
• tricky
• sly
• underhanded
• slick
• slippery
• devious
• artful
• untrue
• fallacious
• dishonest
• false
• mendacious
• fibbing
• prevaricating
• untruthful

Dissimilar Words

• honest
• truthful
• direct
• plain
• open
• veracious
• forthcoming
• frank
• outspoken
• true
• candid
• forthright
• believable
• credible
• veritable
• out-front
• plainspoken
• freehearted
• openhearted
• free-spoken
• foursquare

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

• posing
• playing
• acting
• faking
• masquerading
• simulating
• dissembling
• assuming
• dissimulating
• concealing
• making believe
• making a show
• letting on
• impersonating
• feigning
• disguising
• professing
• making out
• making a pretense
• putting on an act
• shamming
• playacting
• putting up a front
• masking
• affecting
• camouflaging
• counterfeiting
• bluffing
• putting on
• feinting

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

• simulating
• assuming
• acting
• feigning
• affecting
• professing
• faking
• bluffing
• posing
• shamming
• passing (for)
• dissembling
• concealing
• counterfeiting
• playing
• forging
• masquerading
• imitating
• putting on
• impersonating
• making believe
• disguising
• camouflaging
• masking
• dissimulating
• playacting
• letting on
• malingering
• feinting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pretending

Adjective

There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding. — Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Verb

Brown's fourth-quarter touchdown celebration included putting his hand to his crotch and then to his face before pretending to pass out. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

If Gayle Newland had been a cis man who had seduced Miss X by pretending to be Kye Fortune, the case would have fallen outside the McNally principle, and Miss X would have had very little chance of having her complaint heard. — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026

Leaders don’t need every answer—pretending certainty can undermine credibility. — Andriana Eliadis, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Around the Street -The financial press is doing an admirable job of puzzling through the confluence of causes of the brutal global bond-market rout, without pretending to arrive at a discrete cause. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

That did not mean pretending that his mother’s decision had not caused harm. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

In a video posted on Facebook, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that the scam involves callers contacting residents in Florida and all over the country pretending to be law enforcement. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

However, during the game, Simmons, 20, also drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for pretending to pee on the field. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

The group has been spreading malware to IT job seekers by reaching out on social media and through online job platforms, and then pretending to be official job recruiters for AI and cryptocurrency firms. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026