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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretending
Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 6 Jan. 2026
How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2026
Radke alleged, in a series of Instagram Stories posts, that the comedian was catfished by someone pretending to be him and Lee threatened him over the situation.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Sylvain had taken the woman to a Chase Bank branch on three separate occasions in November 2025 and withdrew a total of $1,718 while pretending to be the woman’s granddaughter, the affidavit said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
With a full roster in hand, the group will call employees directly, pretending to be a new hire with innocuous-seeming questions about platforms, cloud access, and other tech infrastructure.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
Its fractured, scattered form, grasping for structure instead of pretending to master it, is an attempt to build a future that will include both author and reader.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
That is, people pretending to be Neil Diamond are all over the Bay Area.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
At one point, a joke was played on Mae pretending that her ring was lost.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
—Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 6 Jan. 2026
How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 6 Jan. 2026
Radke alleged, in a series of Instagram Stories posts, that the comedian was catfished by someone pretending to be him and Lee threatened him over the situation.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Sylvain had taken the woman to a Chase Bank branch on three separate occasions in November 2025 and withdrew a total of $1,718 while pretending to be the woman’s granddaughter, the affidavit said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
With a full roster in hand, the group will call employees directly, pretending to be a new hire with innocuous-seeming questions about platforms, cloud access, and other tech infrastructure.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
Its fractured, scattered form, grasping for structure instead of pretending to master it, is an attempt to build a future that will include both author and reader.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026
That is, people pretending to be Neil Diamond are all over the Bay Area.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
At one point, a joke was played on Mae pretending that her ring was lost.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Adjective
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His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
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And now, with several countries withdrawing from global governance, Jin thinks those lecturing China on being responsible are being hypocritical.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
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After his death, Aldean took to Instagram to pay tribute to the Turning Point USA CEO, sharing a photo of him and his wife posing alongside Kirk.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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After posing on the red carpet, Brown, Harbour and the rest of the cast took the stage inside the Chinese Theatre, where they were introduced by the series’ creators, Matt and Ross Duffer.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In recent years Beijing has ramped up its military intimidation of Taiwan, including by simulating blockades.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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Since stem cell models represent a disease’s early stages, simulating development is trickier and more time-consuming.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Soon, the entire room was awash with clippings, each detailing a different duplicitous scheme — a depressing reflection of how scam culture was taking over my country, eroding our trust in each other.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The teen was playing basketball at the park when he was approached by a group of young adults, who asked the teen if he was affiliated with a gang and tried to start a fight, police said.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Guys were playing hard, everybody on that drive was doing their job, and getting guys down on the ground.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In estimating that online sales would result in overall annual profits of about $30-90 million, the Legislative Services Agency is assuming there would be an accompanying decrease in retail lottery sales.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
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Launching a military operation and then assuming responsibility for governance shifts Washington toward a closed, coercive model of power – one that relies on force to establish authority and is prohibitively costly to sustain over time.—
Monica Duffy Toft,
The Conversation,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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One wrong look or insincere angle and the conversation can go sideways.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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The man whom Navarro likes to call the Boss seems to value insincere, or bought, obeisance—the flapping and fussing of a maître d’—more than heartfelt fandom, which lacks the piquancy of humiliation.—
Ian Parker,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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During takeoff and subsonic flight, for example, an ACE can open extra bypass ducts, effectively acting like a turbofan, quieter and efficient.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Outside of acting, Swit was a painter and a vocal animal rights activist.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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