Synonyms of pretentious

pretentious 1 of 2

adjective

pri-ˈten(t)-shəs 

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

• arrogant
• pompous
• ostentatious
• grandiose
• proud
• high-minded
• highfalutin
• smug
• snippy
• la-di-da
• affected
• conceited
• rude
• snobbish
• grandiloquent
• vainglorious
• sententious
• snobby
• supercilious
• bumptious
• uppity
• high-and-mighty
• presumptuous
• vain
• self-important
• egotistic
• high-sounding
• haughty
• aggressive
• egoistic
• prideful
• cavalier
• high-toned
• complacent
• confident
• hoity-toity
• important
• high-handed
• boastful
• disdainful
• self-centered
• imperious
• self-obsessed
• self-aggrandizing
• high-flown
• self-satisfied
• high-hat
• showy
• impudent
• self-conceited
• insolent
• gaudy
• self-promoting
• assertive
• self-complacent
• stuck-up
• sure
• cocky
• cheeky
• overweening
• self-dramatizing
• superior
• airy
• flamboyant
• garish
• self-glorifying
• flashy
• brassy
• glitzy
• self-assertive
• self-assured
• audacious
• lordly
• self-confident
• braggart
• self-pleased
• self-asserting
• bragging
• bold
• flaunting
• splashy
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unpretentious
• modest
• humble
• unassuming
• homely
• meek
• lowly
• down-to-earth
• passive
• timid
• retiring
• quiet
• shy
• bashful
• unassertive
• reserved
• demure
• mousy
• diffident
• overmodest

2

as in supercilious

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

• arrogant
• supercilious
• pompous
• bumptious
• uppity
• haughty
• high-and-mighty
• superior
• assumptive
• cavalier
• sniffy
• presumptuous
• important
• uppish
• high-handed
• domineering
• highfalutin
• chesty
• huffy
• smug
• high-hat
• imperious
• masterful
• dominant
• proud
• patronizing
• lofty
• presuming
• snobbish
• condescending
• huffish
• authoritarian
• self-assertive
• overweening
• lordly
• peremptory
• toplofty
• snobby
• snooty
• impudent
• pontifical
• bossy
• dominating
• boastful
• self-asserting
• conceited
• vainglorious
• stiff-necked
• bombastic
• disdainful
• narcissistic
• egocentric
• saucy
• cocky
• magisterial
• hubristic
• vain
• blusterous
• egotistic
• impertinent
• braggy
• pontificating
• swaggering
• blustery
• egoistic
• complacent
• immodest
• stuck-up
• prideful
• self-centered
• braggart
• self-satisfied
• uninhibited
• self-conceited
• bragging
• self-promoting
• self-complacent
• extroverted
• brash
• self-flattering
• unreserved
• self-loving
• self-affected
• self-pleased
• self-applauding
• orgulous
• forward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humble
• unpretentious
• modest
• lowly
• timid
• shy
• bashful
• sheepish
• introverted
• diffident
• subdued
• passive
• mousy
• unassuming
• shrinking
• demure
• unobtrusive
• deferential
• meek
• submissive
• compliant
• unassertive
• unarrogant
• unaggressive
• acquiescent
• quiet
• self-critical
• cringing
• yielding
• self-doubting
• reserved
• overmodest
• cowering
• retiring

pretentiousness

2 of 2

noun

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

• arrogance
• superiority
• pretension
• disdain
• attitude
• superciliousness
• haughtiness
• pomposity
• pretense
• imperiousness
• pompousness
• hauteur
• loftiness
• self-importance
• presumptuousness
• assumption
• peremptoriness
• consequence
• lordliness
• masterfulness
• bumptiousness
• pridefulness
• huffiness
• high horse
• vanity
• toploftiness
• snobbery
• snobbishness
• pride
• self-consequence
• condescension
• dominance
• snootiness
• snobbism
• scorn
• high-handedness
• bossiness
• smugness
• bravado
• boastfulness
• cheekiness
• inflation
• authoritativeness
• sauciness
• vainglory
• self-assertion
• brag
• triumphalism
• swagger
• egoism
• chest-thumping
• impudence
• self-satisfaction
• cockiness
• bowwow
• side
• bombast
• egotism
• braggadocio
• self-complacency
• self-conceit
• self-centeredness
• impertinence
• self-opinion
• conceit
• self-contentment
• strut
• self-content
• complacence
• vaingloriousness
• cheek
• swelled head
• superiority complex
• self-assumption
• self-partiality

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• unpretentiousness
• shyness
• bashfulness
• timidity
• diffidence
• demureness
• self-doubt
• passivity
• meekness
• unassumingness
• submissiveness
• passiveness
• lowliness
• timidness
• quietness
• reserve
• retiringness
• self-distrust
• reservedness
• mousiness

2

as in ostentation

excessive or unnecessary display

the sheer pretentiousness of the debutante's wedding

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ostentation
• pomp
• flamboyance
• spectacle
• glitz
• ornamentation
• luxuriousness
• ostentatiousness
• gaudiness
• luxuriance
• decoration
• garishness
• showiness
• flashiness
• swank
• pretense
• fanfare
• adornment
• flash
• dressing
• parade
• opulence
• extravagance
• richness
• pageantry
• mummery
• magnificence
• show
• sumptuousness
• extravaganza
• dazzle
• vulgarity
• pageant
• éclat
• trimming
• fanciness
• embellishment
• garnishment
• razzmatazz
• razzle-dazzle
• foofaraw
• tawdriness
• luridness
• meretriciousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• severity
• restraint
• plainness
• simplicity
• austerity
• modesty
• moderation
• understatement
• elegance
• conservativeness
• minimalism
• gracefulness
• tastefulness

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

• affectation
• pretension
• arrogance
• pretense
• vanity
• disdain
• grandiosity
• inflation
• superiority
• pride
• affectedness
• confidence
• smugness
• snobbery
• snobbishness
• complacency
• haughtiness
• imperiousness
• pompousness
• superciliousness
• hauteur
• vainglory
• egotism
• self-satisfaction
• presumptuousness
• self-importance
• self-aggrandizement
• self-conceit
• conceit
• boastfulness
• vainness
• rudeness
• presumption
• self-assertion
• self-confidence
• self-assurance
• bumptiousness
• lordliness
• boldness
• ostentation
• cheekiness
• cockiness
• vaingloriousness
• aggressiveness
• audaciousness
• braggadocio
• forwardness
• assertiveness
• self-glorification
• sureness
• ostentatiousness
• flamboyance
• gaudiness
• insolence
• impudence
• garishness
• showiness
• grandiloquence
• glitz
• flashiness
• brassiness
• self-assumption
• self-consequence
• mummery
• show

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• humbleness
• meekness
• demureness
• lowliness
• timidity
• diffidence
• shyness
• sincerity
• bashfulness
• down-to-earthness
• naturalness

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pretentious different from other adjectives like it?

The words ostentatious and showy are common synonyms of pretentious. While all three words mean "given to excessive outward display," pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.

a pretentious parade of hard words

When might ostentatious be a better fit than pretentious?

In some situations, the words ostentatious and pretentious are roughly equivalent. However, ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.

the ostentatious summer homes of the rich

When is it sensible to use showy instead of pretentious?

The words showy and pretentious can be used in similar contexts, but showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.

the performers' showy costumes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pretentious

Adjective

The 101 recipes are chef-smart without being pretentious or complicated. — Sheela Prakash, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 July 2026

But there’s much to like here — from the two leads, the numerous Bay Area shots (the Golden Gate Bridge should get a supporting actor credit), Nick Offerman as a pretentious, cruel chef and Lukas Gage as a clueless cretin love interest/coworker. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 June 2026

Noun

Advertisement Jones uses his antihero’s blunt self-appraisals to avoid the pretentiousness endemic to stories about artists. — Judy Berman, Time, 2 June 2026

The lack of pretentiousness signals something about who’s welcome there. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2025