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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in superior
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a pretentious author whose books only appeal to equally pretentious readers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretentious
But diners won’t find pretentious fare at Canal House Station.
—
Mary Lebus, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2025
But Patachou was the first of a genre that seems to keep getting more pretentious if not necessarily better.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
People insisting that the Prime titles aren't mere first-person shooters but first-person adventures was always a bit of a pretentious statement.
—PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025
As luck would have it, while living like a character out of an Austen novel, Jane meets a standoffish man who initially comes off as rude and pretentious.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Mary Lebus, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2025
But Patachou was the first of a genre that seems to keep getting more pretentious if not necessarily better.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
People insisting that the Prime titles aren't mere first-person shooters but first-person adventures was always a bit of a pretentious statement.
—PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025
As luck would have it, while living like a character out of an Austen novel, Jane meets a standoffish man who initially comes off as rude and pretentious.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentious
Adjective
-
A lot of people who are that level of arrogant, there’s also an immense insecurity, right?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The boy is arrogant, Helen thinks.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
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Among the latter is ravenous beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster, hilarious), who turns out to be a key ally, and pompous new mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a stallion who used to be an actor.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Besides, $500 gets you a pretty decent phone these days — without ostentatious gold and a close affiliation with a president who has a decades-long track record of launching and sinking well over a dozen businesses.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
7 Jan. 2026
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Underneath all the spandex and over-the-top production numbers is a sincere film that cares as much about sharing the joy of music as satirizing its ostentatious performance.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The hotel faces onto the grandiose Andrássy Avenue, home to the opera house and an array of high-end boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, but leaving the main drag reveals edgier and arguably far more interesting streets.—
Cassie Doney,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Jan. 2026
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The fragile skeleton of her ego threatened to snap under the pressure of the animal forces that pressed down on her consciousness, her narrative mind sagging and distended beneath pitiless and grandiose feeling.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But that poem is no smug cliché.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
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Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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South Florida sports history is proud to have been the host for Crump’s barrier-busting history.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Big Ten is marching into the heart of Southern football with a proud swagger, daring any conference to challenge its claim as the power to beat in the College Football Playoff.—
Charles Odum,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And even when America fell short, when its actions didn’t align with its ideals, when national interests overrode high-minded principles, its aspirations didn’t change.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
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If that’s you, feel free to set aside this review and move on to more high-minded pursuits.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentious. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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