1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
hoped that his pretended interest in classical music would impress the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in posed
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 assumed
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretended
Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022
What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), a dying old man who pretended to be Gi-hun’s ally in the game.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
Roc Nation agents allegedly pretended to work for the State of Texas and flashed fake badges, Buzbee said.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
In the meantime, Griffin pretended to like the other gift.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Upon Cannon’s announcement, one Buffalo dropped to the stage floor and pretended to make snow angels.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Ryan Harris, 36, of New Orleans, was among eight people and two law firms that have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a yearslong scheme of crashing vehicles into tractor-trailers, fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Scottsdale police allege Hussein pretended to be a rideshare driver between March and December 2024.
—Jimmy Jenkins, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
John pretended to fake fight me at The P @princetonavnj .
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022
What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Verb
Seemingly as a gag to portray a darker Buddy, Ferrell held what appeared to be an unlit cigarette in his mouth and pretended to smoke it.
—Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), a dying old man who pretended to be Gi-hun’s ally in the game.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
Roc Nation agents allegedly pretended to work for the State of Texas and flashed fake badges, Buzbee said.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
In the meantime, Griffin pretended to like the other gift.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Upon Cannon’s announcement, one Buffalo dropped to the stage floor and pretended to make snow angels.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Ryan Harris, 36, of New Orleans, was among eight people and two law firms that have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a yearslong scheme of crashing vehicles into tractor-trailers, fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Scottsdale police allege Hussein pretended to be a rideshare driver between March and December 2024.
—Jimmy Jenkins, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
John pretended to fake fight me at The P @princetonavnj .
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
-
The Athletic's college football reporters conducted a mock draft, which had the Titans taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward.—
Nate Rau,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
-
There already have been a deluge of mock drafts and prospect rankings.—
Jim Reineking,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This fake news gave white authorities the pretense to quash Black organizing and control Black labor.—
Christmaelle Vernet & Kathy Roberts Forde / Made by History,
TIME,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Call scams have been making headlines recently, fueled by the rise in AI threats and urgent but fake banking and technical support calls that push users to install software or transfer money.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
On the other end, Gibbs began to slither his way into open space, and the Lions assumed full control.—
Alec Lewis,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
-
As an incentive for the teams to stick around, the city assumed ownership of the land but agreed to give it back to the teams at the expiration of a ground lease in 2023, according to documents reviewed by The Post.—
Bennett Durando,
The Denver Post,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
For years, Knight has hinted at Snoop’s alleged jealousy of Tupac, believing that the East Coast-West Coast rivalry and personal tensions led to strained relationships within their inner circle.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
25 Feb. 2025
-
State of play: DeSantis and Trump have long had a strained relationship.—
Ivana Saric,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Bernardo Kastrup, a double Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and Philosophy and former CERN scientist, has propounded this thinking and collaborated with leaders like Dr. Faggin.—
Carlo Tortora Brayda,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Unlike the Arizona’s double buckle, this style is designed with an adjustable single strap.—
Nicol Natale,
People.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Reese acted as a robot, basically.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Our nurses who acted with such courage and dedication during the pandemic.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel that simulated hovering flight conditions, with researchers focusing on accurately discerning wind directions during tethered flapping.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Depending on the intensity, duration and sequence of those vibrations, sensations such as being tapped, stroked or squeezed can be simulated.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
In those documents, West discussed not only how to conduct experiments to implant false memories, instill specific mental disorders, and induce trance states, but also how to hide them.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
-
To illustrate, in the United Kingdom vaccinations took a considerable dip in the early 2000s after Wakefield’ false claims of a link between the MMR shot and autism were posted in the media.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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