1
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
that pretentious couple always serves caviar at their parties, even though they themselves dislike it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in superior
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a pretentious author whose books only appeal to equally pretentious readers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretentious
To take her mind off him, Agathe meets an Austen-like family of eccentrics running the retreat and the sometimes pretentious writers attending it.
—
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious or complicated.
—Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Trust the French to come up with the most pretentious word in the dictionary.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Sure, there were some pretentious amateurs on the other side of the camera, but the most successful physique photographers were pros with recognizable styles.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious or complicated.
—Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Trust the French to come up with the most pretentious word in the dictionary.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Sure, there were some pretentious amateurs on the other side of the camera, but the most successful physique photographers were pros with recognizable styles.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentious
Adjective
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In 2022, Ackles joined the cast of Prime Video's The Boys as arrogant superhero Soldier Boy.—
Brianne Tracy,
People.com,
4 July 2025
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Her larger-than-life ego and past as a shaman make Player 044 come off as arrogant and selfish, getting under just about everyone's skin.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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And more than any other animal, cats represented to her its moral antithesis: lazy, pompous, interested only in themselves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
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At 11:30, as the simultaneously pompous and obsequious gate agent announces the passengers above gold status, the bit, already tilting toward insanity, leaves any attempt to portray a real airport behind and dives fully into Alice in Wonderland–level surrealism.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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The winner of a 2025 Robb Report Best of the Best Award for its central staircase, Eternal Spark’s interior bears a family resemblance to its sistership, Camila, but is a bit more ostentatious.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
7 July 2025
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Season 1 saw them and their nearly grown children, Larry (Harry Richardson) and Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), move into an ostentatious mansion on old-money 61st St. Bertha set about scheming to rule high society the way her husband dominated business.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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While the grandiose gestures may seem romantic and well-intentioned, love bombing is almost always followed by devaluation and criticism.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
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In Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, collective or cooperative land reforms—less grandiose and more grassroots than the Soviet or Chinese variants—brought substantive and lasting social change.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Certainly, there was a gap between high-minded intentions and the actual application of the law.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2025
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Ghost Note Fairfield Theatre Co., 70 Sanford St., Fairfield An all-star funk outfit anchored by the Snarky Puppy rhythm section and featuring talents who’ve backed up Prince, Herbie Hancock and Kendrick Lamar, Ghost Notes is a high-minded party band ideal for the heat of early July.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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Local entrepreneur and proud Macedonian Gordana Traycoff will lead the discussion with an evening of storytelling and cultural discovery.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
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In the post, the proud single mom shared throwback photos of her with her eldest son and daughter.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentious. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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