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
Relevance
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
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Drenched in designer labels and working at the house of Christian Dior, Blunt’s Emily has become the pretentious partner of a billionaire tech mogul played by Justin Theroux, sources said.
—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
The lack of pretentiousness signals something about who’s welcome there.
—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Adjective
In his Lipton impression, Ferrell stared down his celebrity guests while asking them intense and pretentious questions.
—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Drenched in designer labels and working at the house of Christian Dior, Blunt’s Emily has become the pretentious partner of a billionaire tech mogul played by Justin Theroux, sources said.
—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
There's no pretentiousness or rigid formality, but the service, food, and wine are top-notch.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
The lack of pretentiousness signals something about who’s welcome there.
—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentious
Adjective
-
The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
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To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
Adjective
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Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
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The usually pompous Victory Day Parade in Moscow on May 9th had to be pared down for fear of Ukrainian drones.
Adjective
-
Decorated with cool gray tones, marble and leather accents, and crisp white bedding, the rooms feel upscale but not ostentatious.
-
In the week ahead, some hard realities of the office have threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.
Adjective
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Twenty-six years later, Kaufman was tapped to score indie developer Yacht Club Games’s Mina the Hollower, a throwback to the look and feel of 8-bit GBC games but with the type of colossal world, grandiose story, and elaborate gameplay typically reserved to the Soulsborne games.
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Waning enthusiasm for SpaceX’s stock this week could serve as a reality check for those buying into Musk’s grandiose visions.
Adjective
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Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.
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But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.
Adjective
-
Mamdani, proud of his socialist values, had developed a language for communicating a collective, interdependent vision of city life through his consistent emphasis on affordability.
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This is also where the film dips into the past and becomes awash in the proud history of Hawaiian surfing, bowing at the legend of the great Duke Kahanamoku and going deep into others and how the sport became such a religion for many, notably devotee Kristen.
Adjective
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Moreover, the average person seeing a super PAC ad will not know what was in those filings, but will simply see the high-minded sounding name of the PAC.
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These are not the times for high-minded prestige series that require active viewing to appreciate every nuance, nor for thrillers and comedies exciting enough to quicken the pulse.
Cite this Entry
“Pretentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentious. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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