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
Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
June Squibb plays the titular Thelma, who gets taken in by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) to the tune of $10,000.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
According to a release from the DA, five employees defrauded the State of California and Apple’s Matching Gifts Program by pretending to make donations to the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) or Hop4Kids.
—David Hessekiel, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
And, while there is a big difference between being good at your job and pretending to be good at it, most people are rewarded, compensated, and promoted for the latter rather than the former.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Often, users are contacted on Telegram by someone pretending to be a friend or acquaintance.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024
The truth is, pollsters earned the public’s ire by pretending to deliver essential, objective political information while actually distorting data for their own purposes.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
The study conducted earlier this year illustrates how AI systems have mastered the art of double-crossing, bluffing, and even pretending to be human during interactions and tests.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Dec. 2024
Bronwyn is straightforward during her conversation with Lisa during before-dinner drinks, and Lisa keeps pretending that assigning Bronwyn to Angie and Whitney’s exile villa means nothing.
—Sarah Hagi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
While maintaining a quirky and mysterious air, the show yields questions like, is a cult real if its creators are pretending but its followers aren’t?
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
June Squibb plays the titular Thelma, who gets taken in by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) to the tune of $10,000.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
According to a release from the DA, five employees defrauded the State of California and Apple’s Matching Gifts Program by pretending to make donations to the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) or Hop4Kids.
—David Hessekiel, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
And, while there is a big difference between being good at your job and pretending to be good at it, most people are rewarded, compensated, and promoted for the latter rather than the former.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Often, users are contacted on Telegram by someone pretending to be a friend or acquaintance.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024
The truth is, pollsters earned the public’s ire by pretending to deliver essential, objective political information while actually distorting data for their own purposes.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
The study conducted earlier this year illustrates how AI systems have mastered the art of double-crossing, bluffing, and even pretending to be human during interactions and tests.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Dec. 2024
Bronwyn is straightforward during her conversation with Lisa during before-dinner drinks, and Lisa keeps pretending that assigning Bronwyn to Angie and Whitney’s exile villa means nothing.
—Sarah Hagi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Adjective
-
Jamie Bernstein considers the attitude hypocritical.Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
-
There are several moments in which Stewart comes off as hypocritical and lacking self-awareness.Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Wind chills in this region could reach 20 degrees, posing a significant threat to people and property.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Wind chills in this region could reach 20 degrees, posing a significant threat to people and property.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In addition to large-scale data theft, economic disruption, and intelligence breaches, quantum computers could be used for malicious purposes such as simulating and synthesizing chemical weapons or optimizing the flight trajectories of a swarm of drones.Charina Chou, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
-
Nvidia’s Omniverse allows users to put together world scenes digitally, simulating a physical environment.Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
This reduces the risk of people unknowingly clicking on duplicitous links, helping ward off the threat.Mike Wilson, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
-
At the same time, the LIA was conducting a duplicitous public-relations campaign that sought to sow doubt about the dangers posed by lead.Stephen Mihm, The Mercury News, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
-
Further factions emerge from there, as people start playing the game within the Squid Game, forming pockets of friendships and alliances, real and fake.Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
As such, even assuming that some more tariffs are put on, the potential impact on China's economy overall is likely to be limited.Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
-
In the chaos, the girls' mother evacuated with another daughter, assuming Lama and Sama were with their father.Sarah Ferguson, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Personalization is key to effective cold emailing, but doing it wrong can make your emails feel insincere or even drive people away.Samuel Darwin, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
-
Carolyn Hax: Do superlative compliments start to feel insincere?Washington Post, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
Verb
-
Those officials could be then tapped for acting positions.Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024
-
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airplane operation, including checks of all Boeing 737-800s.Conor Murray, Forbes, 31 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 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share