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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ostentation
excessive or unnecessary display
the sheer pretentiousness of the debutante's wedding
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretentious
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious or complicated.
—Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Trust the French to come up with the most pretentious word in the dictionary.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Sure, there were some pretentious amateurs on the other side of the camera, but the most successful physique photographers were pros with recognizable styles.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Adjective
To take her mind off him, Agathe meets an Austen-like family of eccentrics running the retreat and the sometimes pretentious writers attending it.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious or complicated.
—Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Trust the French to come up with the most pretentious word in the dictionary.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Sure, there were some pretentious amateurs on the other side of the camera, but the most successful physique photographers were pros with recognizable styles.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentious
Adjective
-
In 2022, Ackles joined the cast of Prime Video's The Boys as arrogant superhero Soldier Boy.—
Brianne Tracy,
People.com,
4 July 2025
-
Her larger-than-life ego and past as a shaman make Player 044 come off as arrogant and selfish, getting under just about everyone's skin.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
This silliness, the silliness of his arrogance, was actually funny to me.—
Ottessa Moshfegh,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
On the dark side, however, Mercury in Leo can spark moments of arrogance and stubbornness.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Their minimalist bottles and containers photograph beautifully, their price points signal exclusivity without screaming ostentation, and their international origins provide cultural cache.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
24 June 2025
-
As high heels become less of a requisite in certain arenas, the Cannes red carpet — whose ostentation is rivaled only by the Met Gala or the Oscars — is something of a final frontier.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
From our review: Tessa Van den Broeck, a newcomer, plays Julie with zero affectation.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
No fussy affectations, just a deliberate tamping down of his more charismatic qualities.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And more than any other animal, cats represented to her its moral antithesis: lazy, pompous, interested only in themselves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
-
At 11:30, as the simultaneously pompous and obsequious gate agent announces the passengers above gold status, the bit, already tilting toward insanity, leaves any attempt to portray a real airport behind and dives fully into Alice in Wonderland–level surrealism.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Yet as more data has emerged demonstrating the safety or even superiority of AI for some tasks, those views are likely changing.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Red Bull enjoyed a period of superiority since the inception of the current ground effect era in 2022, thanks to the aerodynamic expertise of the team's former chief technical officer, Adrian Newey.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Pomp and pageantry Britain is certainly pulling out the stops for Macron's state visit, which will have all the pomp and pageantry that the country excels at.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
8 July 2025
-
As a showpiece occasion to send England off to the European Championship, there was no shortage of pomp and ceremony in their 7-0 win against Jamaica.—
Nancy Froston,
New York Times,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
Each installment was a chance for a new joke, a new observation—about fashion, dating, public restrooms, artistic pretensions, being mistaken for a man—in an era when popular depictions of lesbian experience were rare.—
Charlie Tyson,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
-
Her generation had its pretensions, however rough the family seems now.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentious. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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