PRETENTIOUSLY Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

pretentiously

adverb

as in pompously

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Recent Examples of pretentiously What can be said about the Kalimotxo that hasn’t been pretentiously asserted by an undergraduate who just learned about it? — Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentiously

Adverb

Texas is taking it to a new level, pompously trying to single-handedly keep Republican control of the House after the 2026 midterms.

— Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025

Definition of pompously

Adverb

Ahmed wrapped his face in a red kaffiyeh—the fantasy of a man in hiding, ostentatiously drawing attention to himself.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Bryan Fuller’s expressionistic procedural is ostentatiously gruesome, yes, but the increasingly disturbing interplay between Will and Hannibal — cat and mouse, will-they/won’t they — is a full course meal on its own.

— Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of ostentatiously

Adverb

The resulting image is extremely color accurate but also impressively bright, making the TV an excellent choice for either a basement home theater or a sunny den.

— Justin Pot, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
There’s as much effort gone into the food as there is the drinks menu, and the esoteric array of tropical flavors straddles both impressively.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of impressively

Adverb

Judge has now played 10 full seasons in the big leagues, some of them magnificently.

— Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Madonna kept winning awards all night, giving magnificently chaotic, unprepared, and awkward speeches, yet still with more star power than anyone in the room.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of magnificently

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pretentious

pretentiously

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“Pretentiously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentiously. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pretentiously

adverb

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