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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretender
This is where hype turns into hard numbers, and contenders start getting separated from pretenders.
—
Geoff Clark Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
With a light two-game Good Friday schedule, this is a good time to take a closer look at the contenders and pretenders as the season gets down to the wire.
—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2026
The alliance successfully supported Maria Cristiana, who was acting as regent for Isabella II in Spain and had allied herself with the liberals against the pretender Don Carlos in the First Carlist War (1833–39).
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
These two pretenders reflect an insider debate whose subject is not the existence of the Islamic Republic but the best method of its survival.
—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Geoff Clark Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
With a light two-game Good Friday schedule, this is a good time to take a closer look at the contenders and pretenders as the season gets down to the wire.
—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2026
The alliance successfully supported Maria Cristiana, who was acting as regent for Isabella II in Spain and had allied herself with the liberals against the pretender Don Carlos in the First Carlist War (1833–39).
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
These two pretenders reflect an insider debate whose subject is not the existence of the Islamic Republic but the best method of its survival.
—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
Noun
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Kidan pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud and conspiracy related to the purchase of a fleet of gambling boats, and in 2006 he was sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
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Google also said the devices were used for ad fraud and other digital crimes.
Noun
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And what happens to someone who’s been outed like that, as a fake?
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The Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has warned that people can easily obtain fakes; in 2010, Puerto Rico invalidated all its existing birth certificates, citing rampant fraud and identity theft.
Noun
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Both the duvet cover and shams have a sateen finish, and an ultra-soft, lived-in feel.
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Kristjánsson pointed out that the whole thing was kind of a sham.
Noun
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This stops deepfakes and imposters.
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Savannah continues to ask the public for help locating her missing mother, while an imposter who sent fraudulent ransom demands has been arrested.
Noun
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The actors are perfectly cast, starting with Marmaï’s likable Antoine, the only player here not being the deceiver.
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The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.
Noun
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Others estimate that $500 billion in federal spending is diverted by charlatans each year.
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To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him.
Noun
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To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.
Noun
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.
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Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.
Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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