1
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
everyone took her ingrained pretentiousness into account when considering her statements
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ostentation
excessive or unnecessary display
the sheer pretentiousness of the debutante's wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
the utter pretentiousness of the movie is matched only by the incomprehensibility of its story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretentiousness
The lack of pretentiousness signals something about who’s welcome there.
—
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2025
There’s a pretentiousness that begins to show itself as folks get more comfortable.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Coleman found no pretentiousness in Trafford, and he was not perturbed by the drop in facilities compared to the Etihad Campus.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2025
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2025
There’s a pretentiousness that begins to show itself as folks get more comfortable.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Coleman found no pretentiousness in Trafford, and he was not perturbed by the drop in facilities compared to the Etihad Campus.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentiousness
Noun
-
Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach take turns transforming into floating marketplaces — docks converted to catwalks, hulls polished to reflective arrogance, sales reps who can quote fuel burn like yacht owners care about costs.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
-
College football is awash in problems, including the Big Ten’s unrivaled arrogance, and its never-ending list of demands that would make Notre Dame blush.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The lack of ostentation is in line with my impression of the surgeon himself.—
Mary Roach,
Wired News,
10 Nov. 2025
-
What existed in the White House was a relative lack of ostentation — formal, but showing occasional signs of wear and tear, proof that this was a People’s House, not a palace.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Now, though levees may not exactly be back, royal affectations and the disputes that go with them are.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
-
That’s probably an affectation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Conversely, Taiwan’s adoption of drone technologies and counter-measures reflects a broader global trend in modern warfare where autonomy, numbers, and networked systems can offset traditional military superiority.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Despite Barca’s recent dominance and established superiority in terms of history, fanbase and budget, the rivalry between the clubs is fierce.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics.—
Jake Coyle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Arsenal were in their pomp, and would finish the season as Premier League champions, unbeaten as the ‘Invincibles’.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His pretensions—riding around in a grand coach and continuing the weekly levees—as well as his administration’s notorious effort to enforce deference in the 1798 Sedition Act, fell flat.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But the soul of the city lies in the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the M+ museum offers art without velvet-rope pretension.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The act of painting the steps was, to me, a vibrant protest to orders attempting to silence the diversity and flamboyance of Oak Lawn.—
Meredith Nierman,
NPR,
23 Dec. 2025
-
Pro wrestling has always mixed flamboyance and might — and fashion, certainly, in a campy, spandex kind of way.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
This week’s truncating of the schedule removed whatever pretense remained that Kennedy’s HHS would respect the scientific process for making decisions about vaccines even when that process was dominated by allies who had already taken action to roll back recommendations.—
Grayson Logue,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
-
But gone are the days when those books were displayed to show off the intellect and interests of their owners — and with it, the pretense, at least, that their owners had read them.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentiousness. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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