as in hypocritical
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Dissimilar Words
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
Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 29 Mar. 2026
But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.
—Abby McCloskey, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
During one set of exercises in May, a group of Ukrainian drone operators was invited to play the red team, pretending to be NATO’s adversaries.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
No one is pretending otherwise.
—Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Jeff responds by pretending to be one of the players in a weird bit of Survivor theater.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
According to officials, scammers are calling individuals and pretending to be deputies from the Sheriff's Office.
—Cbs Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
How does pretending to be in charge on a middling reality competition qualify anyone to safely and successfully run the most powerful nation on Earth?
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
—Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
And in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Hurt played one of the New York socialites who falls into the web of deceit created by a charismatic young man (Will Smith) pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier.
—Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 29 Mar. 2026
But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2026
But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.
—Abby McCloskey, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
During one set of exercises in May, a group of Ukrainian drone operators was invited to play the red team, pretending to be NATO’s adversaries.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
No one is pretending otherwise.
—Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Jeff responds by pretending to be one of the players in a weird bit of Survivor theater.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
According to officials, scammers are calling individuals and pretending to be deputies from the Sheriff's Office.
—Cbs Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
How does pretending to be in charge on a middling reality competition qualify anyone to safely and successfully run the most powerful nation on Earth?
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Adjective
-
Last month, White criticized the president’s declaration of war against Iran and his hypocritical stance on peace.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Thomas Jefferson, the great hero of the Declaration of Independence, is shown as hypocritical, cowardly, manipulative, a schemer of every kind.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Images posted to the hacking group’s Telegram account included a picture of Patel sniffing a cigar and posing for photos.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
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She and her son are seen posing in front of a mirror together, before Spears begins speaking in an English accent and seemingly simulating a humping motion while wearing tight shorts and a top that exposes her midsection.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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She and her son are seen posing in front of a mirror together, before Spears begins speaking in an English accent and seemingly simulating a humping motion while wearing tight shorts and a top that exposes her midsection.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In her experiment, McPherson and colleagues created a set-up holding human, mice and pig sperm cells in one part of the compartment and egg cells in the other, divided by a thin channel simulating the female reproductive tract.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America.—
Alan Cullison,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kevin MacEgan, the couple’s eldest son, said his parents were victimized in this manner because of the choices made by Abril — and by the CHP, to approach Abril in a park filled with children playing baseball and other visitors.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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After playing baseball in college and a short stint in the minors, Jerry Lewis started his own business to help other aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those who had been incarcerated or in gangs, to launch their own companies, his son said.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The researchers suggest that future batteries may need to account for this dynamic behavior rather than assuming a stable internal structure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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Alfredo Delgadillo has been promoted to CEO & President, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, assuming oversight of Universal Music Latino in the United States, while continuing to lead Universal Music Mexico and the Regional Mexican label Fono.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
That being said, its professional technical aspects just add to the impression that this is a glib and insincere effort, trying to graft a fun moviegoing experience onto a depressing story about hateful people reveling in each other’s pain.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department, which is ultimately responsible for bringing criminal cases of insider trading, is acting, all too often, as an arm of the White House.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Annual middle-class income requirements are high, ranging from $80,000–$90,000 for a single adult to over $130,000 for families, with housing and childcare acting as primary cost drivers.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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