pretentiousness

noun

Definition of pretentiousnessnext
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

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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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentiousness
  1. arrogance
  2. ostentation
  3. affectation
  4. superiority
  5. pomp
  6. pretension
  7. flamboyance
  8. pretense
Noun
  • Kudos are also due Christian Probst as a prince without a drop of royal arrogance.
    Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Barack Obama came across to his foes as the principle of arrogance.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • There is colorful high polish without distracting ostentation to the design contributions, from Nick Haight’s widescreen cinematography and Ciana Vernon’s production design to Owen Pallett’s sometimes-ironical original score.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Instead of Mbappé holding up his end of the bargain, this is about the club’s ostentation—an insistence on having the glossiest players in the world, and, on this occasion, losing sight of what matters most.
    Henry Flynn, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of ostentation
Noun
  • Whereas past leading musical ladies have tried to contour their character to their own personality (consider, perhaps, when Emma Watson made sure Belle was wearing boots and not heels), Grande has taken Glinda’s affectations as her own.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Usually in those highly stylised stories, the assassin has some form of unusual affectation.
    Nick Miller, The Athletic, 1 Aug. 2024
Definition of affectation
Noun
  • Vegetables too to some extent, although the jury seems in on the superiority of roasted root vegetables with their crispy, caramelized edges.
    Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2024
  • Russian troops have been leveraging their numerical superiority to intensify pressure on Ukrainian defenses.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of superiority
Noun
  • Advertisement World & Nation Trump is welcomed by Macron to Paris with presidential pomp and joined by Zelensky in their meeting 1 hour ago Amid global unrest, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, the cathedral’s resurrection emerged as a symbol of resilience and unity.
    Thomas Adamson and John Leicester, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
  • In Paris, there is the pomp and pageantry of the Olympics.
    Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 29 July 2024
Definition of pomp
Noun
  • To arrive at this integration, however, he must be stripped, like Voss, of his own pretensions and the schisms within his self.
    Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 4 Dec. 2024
  • Know your audience, an excitable kind of reader informs the author of a piece that fails to flatter his pretensions or reinforce her most uncharitable assumptions about her political opponents.
    Noah Rothman, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of pretension
Noun
  • The song’s message of self-confidence and embracing individuality resonated globally, and its vibrant music video showcased Cruz’s iconic flamboyance.
    Walaa Elsiddig, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2024
  • That return, coupled with Pepe’s crowd-pleasing natural flamboyance, put him on the radars of some of Europe’s top clubs.
    Jack Lang, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Definition of flamboyance
Noun
  • Under the pretense of protecting her family, Emilia sends her wife, Jessi (Gomez), and their children to Switzerland.
    Robert Lang, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
  • When Avril moves in with a woman, resorting for a while to the pretense of separate bedrooms, this upheaval in their lives is barely mentioned.
    Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
Definition of pretense
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near pretentiousness

pretentiously

pretentiousness

pretermission

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“Pretentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentiousness. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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