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
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
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentiousness
Noun
-
Professional arrogance, that is, that pushed Atkinson to exceed everybody’s expectations … except his own.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
True to his overconfidence-bordering-on-arrogance nature, new intern Wes earlier in the episode did not follow instructions and attended to patients without permission.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Formula 1 has Monaco, with its ostentation and air of exclusivity.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
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Never through excess or ostentation, but through quiet discipline — a meditative expression of grace.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But Lloyd’s awkward staging here and questionable affectations (including an audience clap-along) makes Pozzo’s relationship with Lucky unfocused and puzzling.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The band sets aside the winks and retro affectations for something unadorned and honest.—
Sarah Grant,
Rolling Stone,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The United States maintains overwhelming technological superiority but with increasingly unpredictable commitments.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
By dispelling the myth of SPS superiority, this study opens the door to more flexible and cost-effective production strategies, accelerating the path toward safer, high-performance solid-state batteries, according to the study.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The pomp and pageantry of the country’s best HBCU basketball tournament was well-displayed, with celebrities like Magic Johnson and LL Cool J hosting parties in uptown Charlotte that drew thousands of attendees.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
-
In his pomp, Worthington was recommending Karim Benzema before the world really knew about the Frenchman.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Journalism that explains things clearly, without pretension or jargon.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Oct. 2025
-
But she is best remembered for Keeping Up Appearances and her role as Hyacinth Bucket, a working-class woman with pretensions of social superiority.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In his book, Allen cites several historical and scientific manuscripts from the 1800s that indicate flamboyances of hundreds to thousands were seen in the Everglades, Florida Bay and the Florida Keys.—
Jerome Lorenz,
The Conversation,
14 Oct. 2025
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Borrowing from the flamboyance of the New Romantics, the edginess of punks and the melancholic themes in their music, goth makeup was dark, vampiric, and vaguely dangerous—an aesthetic music fans copied when gathering at goth haunts like the Batcave in London.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Under this pretense, wearing a MAGA hat in a Google office or entertaining eugenicist ideas about race and intelligence was a way of daring to go where liberals feared to tread.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
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Under the pretense of a back-to-school rules review, the sophomore through senior classes at Ruskin were treated to a stirring drumline performance before a shocked Sixta took the the stage.—
Ilana Arougheti
Updated October 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentiousness. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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