Synonyms of pretentious

pretentious

adjective

pri-ˈten(t)-shəs 

1

as in arrogant

self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance

that pretentious couple always serves caviar at their parties, even though they themselves dislike it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrogant
• pompous
• ostentatious
• grandiose
• proud
• high-minded
• highfalutin
• smug
• snippy
• la-di-da
• affected
• conceited
• rude
• snobbish
• grandiloquent
• vainglorious
• sententious
• snobby
• supercilious
• bumptious
• uppity
• high-and-mighty
• presumptuous
• vain
• self-important
• egotistic
• high-sounding
• haughty
• aggressive
• egoistic
• prideful
• cavalier
• high-toned
• complacent
• confident
• hoity-toity
• important
• high-handed
• boastful
• disdainful
• self-centered
• imperious
• self-obsessed
• self-aggrandizing
• high-flown
• self-satisfied
• high-hat
• showy
• impudent
• self-conceited
• insolent
• gaudy
• self-promoting
• assertive
• self-complacent
• stuck-up
• sure
• cocky
• cheeky
• overweening
• self-dramatizing
• superior
• airy
• flamboyant
• garish
• self-glorifying
• flashy
• brassy
• glitzy
• self-assertive
• self-assured
• audacious
• lordly
• self-confident
• braggart
• self-pleased
• self-asserting
• bragging
• bold
• flaunting
• splashy
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unpretentious
• modest
• humble
• unassuming
• homely
• meek
• lowly
• down-to-earth
• passive
• timid
• retiring
• quiet
• shy
• bashful
• unassertive
• reserved
• demure
• mousy
• diffident
• overmodest

2

as in supercilious

having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude

a pretentious author whose books only appeal to equally pretentious readers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrogant
• supercilious
• pompous
• bumptious
• uppity
• haughty
• high-and-mighty
• superior
• assumptive
• cavalier
• sniffy
• presumptuous
• important
• uppish
• high-handed
• domineering
• highfalutin
• chesty
• huffy
• smug
• high-hat
• imperious
• masterful
• dominant
• proud
• patronizing
• lofty
• presuming
• snobbish
• condescending
• huffish
• authoritarian
• self-assertive
• overweening
• lordly
• peremptory
• toplofty
• snobby
• snooty
• impudent
• pontifical
• bossy
• dominating
• boastful
• self-asserting
• conceited
• vainglorious
• stiff-necked
• bombastic
• disdainful
• narcissistic
• egocentric
• saucy
• cocky
• magisterial
• hubristic
• vain
• blusterous
• egotistic
• impertinent
• braggy
• pontificating
• swaggering
• blustery
• egoistic
• complacent
• immodest
• stuck-up
• prideful
• self-centered
• braggart
• self-satisfied
• uninhibited
• self-conceited
• bragging
• self-promoting
• self-complacent
• extroverted
• brash
• self-flattering
• unreserved
• self-loving
• self-affected
• self-pleased
• self-applauding
• orgulous
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humble
• unpretentious
• modest
• lowly
• timid
• shy
• bashful
• sheepish
• introverted
• diffident
• subdued
• passive
• mousy
• unassuming
• shrinking
• demure
• unobtrusive
• deferential
• meek
• submissive
• compliant
• unassertive
• unarrogant
• unaggressive
• acquiescent
• quiet
• self-critical
• cringing
• yielding
• self-doubting
• reserved
• overmodest
• cowering
• retiring

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pretentious different from other adjectives like it?

The words ostentatious and showy are common synonyms of pretentious. While all three words mean "given to excessive outward display," pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.

a pretentious parade of hard words

When might ostentatious be a better fit than pretentious?

In some situations, the words ostentatious and pretentious are roughly equivalent. However, ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.

the ostentatious summer homes of the rich

When is it sensible to use showy instead of pretentious?

The words showy and pretentious can be used in similar contexts, but showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.

the performers' showy costumes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pretentious

Not to sound pretentious, but Elwood Dowd is sort of like a Christlike figure. — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026

Again, what sounds pretentious is replaced with a story on the importance of storytelling itself, as a way to resist cruelty and recognize hope. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026

Set the scene Sexy without being pretentious and bold without the brashness, Il Sereno is a lesson in artful restraint. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Service is polished but not pretentious. — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026