1
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
everyone took her ingrained pretentiousness into account when considering her statements
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ostentation
excessive or unnecessary display
the sheer pretentiousness of the debutante's wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
the utter pretentiousness of the movie is matched only by the incomprehensibility of its story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentiousness
Noun
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The guy the American masses met in 2009 had already worked out a sound, approaching the sad-robot pop of Ye’s 808s & Heartbreak from the chilly arrogance of boardroom Jay. Hip-hop heads didn’t always respect the swing of the pendulum, though.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025 -
Sheer arrogance, headed straight for the trash can, unopened.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 Feb. 2025
Noun
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As with Yamamoto-san’s suit, my comfort and pleasure would be the biggest factors here; there would be no room for ostentation.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
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The mansion, often considered a monument to Roaring ‘20s ostentation, stretches from the Intracoastal to the Atlantic Ocean.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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From frame one, Bob Dylan, the creation, the idea, the trickster, the lone wolf, without attitude or affectation, your Dylan was no imitation.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2025
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In a transfixing performance that balances colorful affectation with raw hunger, the actor makes Lee a magnetic raconteur whose shield of worldly composure falls away as Eugene (Drew Starkey) eludes his grasp, leaving him a virtual ghost by the end of the film.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Ten years into the Trump era, our Democratic avatars still feel obligated to signal their impotent superiority to the person who actually runs the place.—
Jessica Winter,
The New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2025
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Of the 12 traits of a narcissist, several, like grandiosity and superiority, can actually look like leadership traits.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And too much pomp, of the sort that is inextricable from a victory lap like this one, can threaten to kill the anarchic spirit of a show that thrives on spontaneity.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
17 Feb. 2025
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The rowdy pomp and ceremony that accompanies a wedding march, meanwhile, is pointedly shown as not all that different from the film’s funeral processions — each soundtracked by the juddering snap and pop of cheap firecrackers.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There’s no pretension or judgment here, but nearly everything is pleasing to the eye.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2025
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Before Trump, Tokyo spent less than one percent of GDP on defense, an astonishingly low figure for a state adjacent to China and with great-power pretensions.—
Robert E. Kelly,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Feb. 2022
Noun
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Meanwhile, the always captivating Dafoe, at one point wearing full armor, exhibits a not atypical, full-bodied macho flamboyance as a man who regrets not having a son.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
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That’s why the two-level Red Katz has the allure of a Parisian brasserie, the flamboyance of a 1930s New York City speakeasy and a mouthwatering menu that beautifully blends their Asian roots and French epicureanism.—
Lily Templeton,
WWD,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For more about how to tell generative AI to carry out a pretense, known as an AI persona, see my coverage at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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There were no pretenses and no judgments — a theme that resonated throughout the retreat.—
Colby Holiday,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Dec. 2024
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Thesaurus Entries Near pretentiousness
Cite this Entry
“Pretentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentiousness. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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