pretender
noun
pre·tend·er
pri-ˈten-dər 
: one that pretends: such as
a
: one who lays claim to something
specifically
: a claimant to a throne who is held to have no just title
b
: one who makes a false or hypocritical show
Synonyms
Examples of pretender in a Sentence
it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender
Recent Examples on the Web
The kind of player who makes the Knicks a legitimate contender, not just a pretender incapable of getting over the hump in a series against the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks or a healthy Philadelphia 76ers team.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2024
For a single day, Prigozhin became a pretender to the throne in Moscow—the embodiment of the hopes, expectations, and grievances of millions of people.
—Vladislav Zubok, Foreign Affairs, 28 June 2023
In any previous decade, he would have been dismissed as an inexperienced pretender.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024
For Atlanticists, most of them aging men but with no shortage of youthful pretenders among them, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been the equivalent of a blood transfusion.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretender 
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2024
For a single day, Prigozhin became a pretender to the throne in Moscow—the embodiment of the hopes, expectations, and grievances of millions of people.
—Vladislav Zubok, Foreign Affairs, 28 June 2023
In any previous decade, he would have been dismissed as an inexperienced pretender.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024
For Atlanticists, most of them aging men but with no shortage of youthful pretenders among them, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been the equivalent of a blood transfusion.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretender
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretender.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretender. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pretender
noun
pre·tend·er
pri-ˈten-dər
1
: a person who pretends
2
: a person who claims a throne without right
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