as in pretentious
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Recent Examples of fancy-pants
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
But no—not good enough for these fancy-pants mathematicians who need their own set of characters just to feel special.
—Eli Burnstein, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2023
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
Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
But no—not good enough for these fancy-pants mathematicians who need their own set of characters just to feel special.
—Eli Burnstein, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2023
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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Accusing it of being pretentious, an ego trip, and lacking depth.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
10 Mar. 2025
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His style and references can seem a little pretentious now.—
Louisa Thomas,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, men in relationships with women high in grandiose narcissism reported lower satisfaction, as these women heightened their partners’ pressure to appear perfect.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
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Related article How being a ‘gray rock’ can protect you against narcissists Now, a new study has found grandiose narcissists are not only more likely to feel ostracized but are also genuinely excluded more often than those with less egocentric personalities.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Still, this adaptation of an O. Henry story tilts all its sympathies toward the outlaw hero the Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter, in a Best Actor–winning role) and away from the pompous white soldier charged with tracking him down.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
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And every scene and song featuring the hilarious Eric Anderson as the pompous and preening Union Gen. George B. McClellan is a comic gem.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Many projects that were celebrated during bull markets are now facing existential crises, unable to justify their inflated valuations.—
Max (Chong) Li,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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Styles is frequently captured by paparazzi wearing Anderson’s designs, such as a navy bomber jacket filled with enough puffer insulation to create an inflated silhouette.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For the second part of the show, a large, purple head and praying hands took over the stage.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
23 Mar. 2025
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Today, visitors flock to the canyons to take in the soil’s pink, orange, red, and purple coloring.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Enameled and gilded and madly ornate, installed under ultra-bright lights in a nook-like space — a former butler’s pantry?—
Holland Cotter,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2025
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Blumarine and Valentino followed suit, incorporating peasant-style tops, ornate embellishments, and billowing silhouettes in their Milan and Paris collections.—
Jailynn Taylor,
Essence,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Secretary Kennedy’s announcement of a shake-up at the Department of Health and Human Services spotlights the need for major reform at the bloated agency.—
Ryan Long,
National Review,
28 Mar. 2025
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Nets general manager Sean Marks does have a history of throwing bloated offer sheets at restricted free agents, which should have the Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers nervous about Kuminga, Giddey and Grimes, respectively.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This was a stilted, corrupt attempt to juice a friend’s stock, and certainly beneath the office of the presidency.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
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Overall, the video comes across pretty stilted for most of its run time.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
26 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Fancy-pants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancy-pants. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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