as in hypocritical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in posing
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 simulating
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretending
Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
Scammers pretending to be Denver Animal Shelter staff are calling people who lost their pets, telling them they’ve been hit by a car and need to pay a $500 deposit by phone to start emergency surgery, city officials said Friday.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2024
But [Star Wars] played a big part in how my imagination blossomed as a child, while running around my yard or the schoolyard, pretending to be those characters.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024
Long then proceeded to call a mock auction, pretending to sell the cup for a winning bid of $65,000.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Jane Seymour leaves pretending to her fictional characters.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024
To continue pretending otherwise is to consign a once great city and state to permanent decline.
—Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 5 Dec. 2024
Schwartz made his Ocean’s debut in the first installment by pretending to pummel George Clooney’s Danny Ocean behind closed doors.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2024
In challenging relationships, for example, gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring problems or pretending everything is fine.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
So the co-producer is pretending the screenwriter’s work was infringed upon.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
Scammers pretending to be Denver Animal Shelter staff are calling people who lost their pets, telling them they’ve been hit by a car and need to pay a $500 deposit by phone to start emergency surgery, city officials said Friday.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2024
But [Star Wars] played a big part in how my imagination blossomed as a child, while running around my yard or the schoolyard, pretending to be those characters.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024
Long then proceeded to call a mock auction, pretending to sell the cup for a winning bid of $65,000.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Jane Seymour leaves pretending to her fictional characters.
—Rachel McRady, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024
To continue pretending otherwise is to consign a once great city and state to permanent decline.
—Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 5 Dec. 2024
Schwartz made his Ocean’s debut in the first installment by pretending to pummel George Clooney’s Danny Ocean behind closed doors.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 3 Dec. 2024
In challenging relationships, for example, gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring problems or pretending everything is fine.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Adjective
-
And to sit up there, man, and to be just blatantly hypocritical is funny and sickening at the same time.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
-
If an organization’s culture is aspirational rather than lived and practiced, the result is often a hypocritical, inauthentic hiring experience.Lori Landrum, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Following Qatar For many soccer fans around the world, such conversations will feel familiar from previous World Cups in both Russia and Qatar, with both posing issues around human rights.Ben Church, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Yet the world cannot afford to overlook the rising tensions in the Horn of Africa posing a serious threat to both regional and international peace and security.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Decision support systems powered with AI are assisting military leaders by analyzing vast amounts of data, simulating scenarios in real-time, and then suggesting optimal strategies based on various conditions.Kathleen Walch, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
-
In addition to real-time protection, simulating AI adversarial attacks pre-production is a best practice for proactively protecting your models.Niv Braun, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
After the first installment ended with the duplicitous destruction of House Atreides, viewers really needed to see some catharsis, and Villeneuve’s team delivered that in spades.EW Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
-
The lawyer was brought in by a nemesis of the Dutton ranching family to bring them ruin, but ends up having an affair with John's duplicitous son, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley).Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Stearns was unaware of his feelings about the media and had not heard from Wolfe or anyone else that Sasaki would be uncomfortable playing in a place like New York.Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Some fans say folk purists were booing because Dylan was playing electric, while others say the ruckus was merely over the distorted sound.Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The ousting of Assad, who ruled Syria for a quarter century after assuming power from his father, leaves a dangerous political vacuum.Scott Neuman, NPR, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Don’t allow the pets to be unsupervised in the same room; keep plants on a high shelf (assuming your pet can’t reach it; most cats can reach everywhere) or secured behind glass like a cloche.Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Think of nervous smiles, insincere smiles, and smirks.Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
-
His argument: propaganda does not always have to be insincere or untrue.Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
And two state agencies will go to bat for health insurance consumers, including the Insurance Division, led by the acting insurance commissioner, and the Health Education Advocacy Unit in the Maryland Attorney General’s office.Riley Gutiérrez McDermid, Baltimore Sun, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Influencers are the New Holiday Shopping Guides This season, influencers will be more influential than ever, acting as virtual shopping assistants for millions of holiday consumers.Nandan Sheth, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pretending
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share