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Definitions

pretended

[pri-ten-did] / prɪˈtɛn dɪd /
ADJECTIVE
alleged; imaginary
Synonyms
STRONG
affected assumed avowed bluffing cheating concealed counterfeit covered dissimulated fake falsified feigned lying masked mock pretend professed purported quack sham shammed simulated supposed
WEAK
artificial bogus charlatan factitious false fictitious impostrous imposturous make believe ostensible phony pseudo put on so-called spurious
Antonyms
STRONG
bare exposed genuine open original real revealed true
WEAK
sincere

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 vice president pretended to pivot from “a longer discussion” of the subject, but then he immediately started pontificating about the culture’s “desire” to classify “celestial beings who fly around “as aliens.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

You followed it religiously at home, collected all the stickers in the album, fell in love with a player and pretended to be them on the school playground.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

It’s that it apparently knowingly produced fake results and falsely pretended they were real and accurate.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

The really crazy thing is that anyone ever pretended you could.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

I slid to the back of the room and pretended I belonged.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.