as in pretentious
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Recent Examples of fancy-pants
Partridge was dressed in classic English fancy-pants style, while Rodrigo embraced the vintage preppiness inherent to gingham.
—
Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 July 2025
The surprise of Clover Hill is not that this sort of food is on offer in an outer borough—with its concentration of zillion-dollar brownstones and fancy-pants residents, Brooklyn Heights isn’t exactly salt of the earth.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
With crust that's beautifully singed and wondrously puffed, the not-so-basic numbers are polished with fancy-pants ingredients—from Calabrian chile, fennel and sausage to a cacio e pepe riff made with velvety cream sauce, formaggi al pepe and pecorino.
—Brooke Viggiano, Chron, 12 Mar. 2023
Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 July 2025
The surprise of Clover Hill is not that this sort of food is on offer in an outer borough—with its concentration of zillion-dollar brownstones and fancy-pants residents, Brooklyn Heights isn’t exactly salt of the earth.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
With crust that's beautifully singed and wondrously puffed, the not-so-basic numbers are polished with fancy-pants ingredients—from Calabrian chile, fennel and sausage to a cacio e pepe riff made with velvety cream sauce, formaggi al pepe and pecorino.
—Brooke Viggiano, Chron, 12 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancy-pants
Adjective
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Kerouac’s pretentious hitchhiker’s guide lacked the panache, humor, and focus of this one by Douglas Adams.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Swift making herself into a tortured poet trying to outdo a pretentious, typewriter-wielding ex.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This grandiose opera house in Guangzhou—an hour northwest of Hong Kong by train—opened in 2010 using the plans for the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales, which was never built.—
Mae Hamilton,
AFAR Media,
9 Sep. 2025
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The monumental, symmetrical building had a grandiose entrance mimicking the front of the Greek temple, and the glass and iron dome at the structure’s center was erected using the latest construction techniques.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Louis Partridge will take on the scheming Mr Wickham, with Jamie Demetriou playing the pompous Mr Collins, Daryl McCormack as Jane’s beloved Mr Bingley, Siena Kelly as his sister Caroline and Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For private individuals, the inflated costs are inconvenient but bearable.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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The result is a toxic mix of inflated expectations, disillusioned boards, and wasted budgets that lead to the 95% figure above.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But this native holly shrub turns purple to yellow in the fall, revealing bright red berries that hold on through the winter.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Sep. 2025
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Bresnahan, from a purple district in Pennsylvania, is one of the members who had previously introduced a stock measure.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Everything was based on research from various archives from different locations, and some of the pictures from the Black Victorians were of these beautiful women who just had these beautiful, ornate dresses.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
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Echoes of the Age of Discovery linger at Belém Tower and the ornate Jerónimos Monastery, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Without a careful balance, organizations may be stuck either with bloated systems tailored beyond recognition or rigid platforms that stifle innovation and growth.—
Shiv Kaushik,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Those bloated standing ovations, the ones the trades breathlessly cover with their stopwatches, happen at the latter.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Donovan’s Meyers is fascinating in his stilted weirdness, a bit of a dandy and a bit of a dork.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, on the banks, cooking classes sizzle with lemongrass and tamarind—as water buffalo graze lazily beside stilted homes.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fancy-pants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancy-pants. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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