pretender

noun

pre·​tend·​er pri-ˈten-dər 

: one that pretends: such as

a

: one who lays claim to something

specifically : a claimant to a throne who is held to have no just title

b

: one who makes a false or hypocritical show

Synonyms

• charlatan
• fake
• faker
• fakir
• fraud
• hoaxer
• humbug
• impostor
• imposter
• mountebank
• phony
• phoney
• quack
• quacksalver
• ringer
• sham

Examples of pretender in a Sentence

it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender

Recent Examples on the Web

Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025

The only saving grace for City is that there is no clear pretender to take its place as the top dog in English soccer. —Joe Prince-Wright, Nbc Sports, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024

Ball could be that piece to turn the Rockets from pretenders to contenders. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024

Just this week alone, there's potential for some of these contenders to fall into the pretender pool. —Chase Goodbread, The Tennessean, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

pretend entry 1 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pretender

noun

pre·​tend·​er pri-ˈten-dər 

1

: a person who pretends

2

: a person who claims a throne without right