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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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2
as in ostentation
excessive or unnecessary display
the sheer pretentiousness of the debutante's wedding
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretentious
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Kirk Lazarus is a prestigious, pretentious actor who decides to go full method — to put it mildly — in portraying a Black soldier.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Adjective
Kerouac’s pretentious hitchhiker’s guide lacked the panache, humor, and focus of this one by Douglas Adams.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Kirk Lazarus is a prestigious, pretentious actor who decides to go full method — to put it mildly — in portraying a Black soldier.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentious
Adjective
-
Jackson returns as Wes Bryant, a handsome, intelligent, but arrogant man who had just moved to Seattle and was revealed to be a new medical intern at Grey Sloan.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Jack Cutmore-Scott as Julius Beaufort, an arrogant new money banker at the center of New York society with an interest in Ellen.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Still, Patel warns Gen Z that confidence can quickly morph into arrogance.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Schmitt suffers a nervous breakdown after his arrogance (and Webber’s long leash on the residency program) leads to him killing a podcaster on the operating table and these two break up again.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Formula 1 has Monaco, with its ostentation and air of exclusivity.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Never through excess or ostentation, but through quiet discipline — a meditative expression of grace.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
Adjective
-
While The Morning Show presents the news business as glossy and glamorous (and often a little pompous), The Paper takes the opposite view with the documentary crew from The Office now focusing on a dying newspaper in Ohio.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
In his pomp, Worthington was recommending Karim Benzema before the world really knew about the Frenchman.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
There, the music switches to distant, classical pomp and the actor takes a seat at a tidy press junket-style set.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 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
Cite this Entry
“Pretentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentious. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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