as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 pretender
Signings like that separate champions from contenders, and contenders from pretenders.
—
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
Presumably the quality of play will be much improved now that most of the pretenders have been eliminated, but scarcity should also work in the networks’ favor.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
John Elway was considered a postseason pretender when his Denver Broncos were annihilated in three Super Bowls over a four-year stretch, then finished his career by snagging the franchise’s first two championship rings.
—Tim Graham, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2025
Presumably the quality of play will be much improved now that most of the pretenders have been eliminated, but scarcity should also work in the networks’ favor.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
John Elway was considered a postseason pretender when his Denver Broncos were annihilated in three Super Bowls over a four-year stretch, then finished his career by snagging the franchise’s first two championship rings.
—Tim Graham, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
Noun
-
The panel also agreed Way acted with malice, oppression or fraud, and awarded her another $250,000 in punitive damages.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
-
President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk have both alleged widespread fraud within the SSA.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Among them, pyramid schemes, membership fee fakes, credit repair cons, dubious health offers, fictitious diploma schools and illegitimate gaming services.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Always double-check URLs and email addresses to spot fakes.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The votes were widely viewed as a sham and heavily criticized by the US at the time as well as by allies in Europe.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Six elections since have been widely dismissed as shams that concealed rising discontent.—
Nataliya Vasilyeva,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Similarly, a 67-year-old from San Diego was tricked out of her life savings when an AI impostor gang posed as Keanu Reeves, also raising awareness about romance scams impacting the elderly.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Speaking of which … How long has Helly been an impostor?—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
No, the danger is what those charlatans exploit, namely our vulnerability to the narrative of natural healing, the irresistible allure of conquering cancer with a simple, intuitive approach that lies entirely within our power, no chemo or surgery required.—
Alan Levinovitz,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
-
There was too much history for anyone to dismantle, let alone a charlatan like Hitler.—
Luke Berryman,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
26 July 2024
Noun
-
Famous athlete revealed as Fuzzy Peas on Masked Singer while Ken Jeong shocks with Lord Farquaad look on wild Shrek Night With a final dramatic flourish of his cape and a quack, Lucky Duck departed, and it was revealed that Coral would be joining Paparazzo in the final six.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Milla — a young woman who feels disillusioned by doctors that treat her like a recalcitrant child, directing even conversations about her treatment to her father instead of her — finds false security in quacks selling enemas and juice cleanses.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share