Definitions

pretentious

[pri-ten-shuhs] / prɪˈtɛn ʃəs /

ADJECTIVE

snobbish, conceited

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arty exaggerated grandiose hollow overblown pompous showy stilted turgid

STRONG

ostentatious

WEAK

affected assuming aureate big bombastic chichi conspicuous euphuistic extravagant feigned flamboyant flashy flaunting flowery gaudy grandiloquent high-flown high-sounding highfalutin imposing inflated jazzy la-di-da lofty magniloquent mincing ornate overambitious puffed up put on rhetorical specious splashy swank too-too tumid utopian vainglorious

Antonyms

STRONGEST

genuine honest moderate modest plain simple

WEAK

humble unconceited

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The 22-year-old from Fife accepts that sometimes black and white shoots can feel "pretentious and tacky", but from watching the trailer, Spider-Noir feels different.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

“Our business is infested with idiots,” he famously warned, “who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Here, Coppola brings her respectable, confident disregard for the outsider’s opinion to the documentary format, churning out a film that feels proud but not pretentious.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

In Tim Burton’s breakthrough film, O’Hara played tragically hip Delia Deetz, the pretentious and self-absorbed stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

Respectable people do not become painters: only overblown, pretentious, theatrical people.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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