1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
hoped that his pretended interest in classical music would impress the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in posed
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
I pretended that I didn't care that my ex had a new man in her life
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in assumed
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretended
Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022
What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
Roc Nation agents allegedly pretended to work for the State of Texas and flashed fake badges, Buzbee said.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
In the meantime, Griffin pretended to like the other gift.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Upon Cannon’s announcement, one Buffalo dropped to the stage floor and pretended to make snow angels.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Ryan Harris, 36, of New Orleans, was among eight people and two law firms that have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a yearslong scheme of crashing vehicles into tractor-trailers, fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Scottsdale police allege Hussein pretended to be a rideshare driver between March and December 2024.
—Jimmy Jenkins, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
John pretended to fake fight me at The P @princetonavnj .
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
In 1966, Cole starred with Deborah Walley (Gidget Goes Hawaiian) in the 3D sci-fi film The Bubble and appeared on an episode of Gunsmoke in which his character pretended to be the son of a man killed by Matt Dillon (James Arness).
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022
What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Verb
Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), a dying old man who pretended to be Gi-hun’s ally in the game.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
Roc Nation agents allegedly pretended to work for the State of Texas and flashed fake badges, Buzbee said.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
In the meantime, Griffin pretended to like the other gift.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Upon Cannon’s announcement, one Buffalo dropped to the stage floor and pretended to make snow angels.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Ryan Harris, 36, of New Orleans, was among eight people and two law firms that have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a yearslong scheme of crashing vehicles into tractor-trailers, fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Scottsdale police allege Hussein pretended to be a rideshare driver between March and December 2024.
—Jimmy Jenkins, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
John pretended to fake fight me at The P @princetonavnj .
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
In 1966, Cole starred with Deborah Walley (Gidget Goes Hawaiian) in the 3D sci-fi film The Bubble and appeared on an episode of Gunsmoke in which his character pretended to be the son of a man killed by Matt Dillon (James Arness).
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
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The ancient tradition would be to hold sacrificial ceremonies, but today, people hold mock sacrifices to celebrate.Amanda Cappelli, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2024
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The long-sleeve gown featured a mock neck and ruching at the waist.Catherine Santino, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In 2017, then State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman indicted Newman on 58 counts, following a two-year investigation nicknamed Operation Vandelay Industries, a nod to George Costanza’s fake latex company on Seinfeld.Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 25 Dec. 2024
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Not a temporary tattoo or a fake one to trick people online.Amanda Rosa, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Walsh assumed that the autobiographical stories were about Andrea and Gerry.Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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Other linguistic features once assumed to be universal—such as tenses, personal pronouns, and even, potentially, a distinction between nouns and verbs—have turned up missing when greater numbers of languages have been scrutinized.Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Zuckerberg and Trump have had a strained relationship in recent years.Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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Jansson started 37 games for Leeds but his relationship with Marcelo Bielsa, the head coach at the time, had become strained.Jay Harris, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The double suites, with a sleeper sofa in the living room, are especially ideal for families whose children still nap or who have multiple kids so not everyone has to sit in darkness come a certain time of day.Esther Carlstone, Parents, 18 Dec. 2024
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Here’s who reimagined the character as a clever but underestimated woman Sept. 5, 2024 Bates has particularly relished the opportunity to play the double life of her character, who is constantly three steps ahead of those around her.Max Gao, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Our nurses who acted with such courage and dedication during the pandemic.Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 24 Dec. 2024
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Reese acted as a robot, basically.Simon Thompson, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Depending on the intensity, duration and sequence of those vibrations, sensations such as being tapped, stroked or squeezed can be simulated.Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 Dec. 2024
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The series of tests, which began in January 2024, simulated the extreme conditions of a launch abort scenario to see how the spacecraft would withstand an emergency event, according to a statement from NASA.Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Nashville) Letter:Trump's false claims on pet-eating scared me into hiding my cat.David Plazas, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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They were charged in a 39-count indictment that included conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud.Diane J. Cho, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pretended
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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