as in frauds
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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Recent Examples of pretenders
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
The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
With the monetary system in a free-fall, some Iranians would rather have a beneficent king than all these pretenders oh-so-interested in the people.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
The Patriots are contenders, the Bears pretenders.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Discernment in separating potential winners from the pretenders is a positive, if sometimes manic and messy, process.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
As the difference between contenders and pretenders becomes clearer each week, the Seahawks took a significant step Sunday toward cementing themselves as a team to be reckoned with down the line.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Week 10 kicked off the month with several examples of contenders and pretenders revealing themselves.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
The Cult of the Beaver has to fend off pretenders.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
With the monetary system in a free-fall, some Iranians would rather have a beneficent king than all these pretenders oh-so-interested in the people.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
The Patriots are contenders, the Bears pretenders.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Discernment in separating potential winners from the pretenders is a positive, if sometimes manic and messy, process.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
As the difference between contenders and pretenders becomes clearer each week, the Seahawks took a significant step Sunday toward cementing themselves as a team to be reckoned with down the line.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Week 10 kicked off the month with several examples of contenders and pretenders revealing themselves.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenders
Noun
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Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some firms have also invested more heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to scale up efforts like text and image screening to better detect fakes and fraudsters.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Mar. 2026
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Plans are now underway for a contemporary reimagining of the series, which saw McShane play the eponymous roguish and fourth wall-breaking antiques dealer, a likeable anti-hero with a knack for recognizing genuine antiques from fakes or forgeries.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The results may look deceptively simple—bed sheets, pillow shams, the occasional coverlet—but engrained in those thread counts are hundreds of years spent honing techniques and generations of families honoring lofty traditions.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
13 Mar. 2026
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The set—which includes a bedspread and two pillow shams—features coin-pattern stitching and cool-to-the-touch material that’s machine washable.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Carl Sagan's baloney detection kit taught us how to separate good science from the work of charlatans.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
-
First up was Ben Shapiro, who described Tucker Carlson and others as grifters and charlatans, guilty of misleading their audiences with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Fortune,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The impostors have been presenting themselves as representatives of the Texas Department of Insurance's Division of Workers' Compensation.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
According to the Federal Trade Commission, imposters posing as government agencies were one of the top reported scams in the Arizona, costing consumers more than $20 million in 2025.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenders. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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