as in hypocritical
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in posing
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 simulating
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretending
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Ella Moore
july 2,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
For example, a group of minions might be pretending to fight a group of Vikings on a movie set, or enough alien spaceships to fill the entire screen appear and shoot their lasers at once.
—
Parents,
1 July 2026
But in many workplaces, pretending not to have seen a message has become a useful social maneuver.
—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Muscovites, your days of pretending the war is far away from your own comfortable existence are over.
—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
Allen contended that the man was trying to catfish him by pretending to be multiple attractive women.
—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
29 June 2026
Our fear resurfaced days ago on the one-month anniversary, when another alert was issued after a man circled the Islamic Center pretending to possess an explosive device while displaying a Nazi flag.
—
Tazheen Nizam,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 June 2026
In 2013, a man was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint in Detroit after receiving text messages from someone pretending to be his ex-girlfriend and asking to meet.
—
Christina Zhang,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Some people cope with a situation like that by pretending everything is fine, ready to move forward with booking the swank venue for the big bash.
—
Greg Jackson,
Time,
23 June 2026
Adjective
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
The scammer then calls, pretending to be in a crisis and in need of immediate financial assistance.
—
Ella Moore
july 2,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
For example, a group of minions might be pretending to fight a group of Vikings on a movie set, or enough alien spaceships to fill the entire screen appear and shoot their lasers at once.
—
Parents,
1 July 2026
But in many workplaces, pretending not to have seen a message has become a useful social maneuver.
—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Muscovites, your days of pretending the war is far away from your own comfortable existence are over.
—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
Allen contended that the man was trying to catfish him by pretending to be multiple attractive women.
—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
29 June 2026
Our fear resurfaced days ago on the one-month anniversary, when another alert was issued after a man circled the Islamic Center pretending to possess an explosive device while displaying a Nazi flag.
—
Tazheen Nizam,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 June 2026
In 2013, a man was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint in Detroit after receiving text messages from someone pretending to be his ex-girlfriend and asking to meet.
—
Christina Zhang,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Some people cope with a situation like that by pretending everything is fine, ready to move forward with booking the swank venue for the big bash.
—
Greg Jackson,
Time,
23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
Adjective
-
Or means that any comments are supposedly hypocritical.
-
Earlier this month, Matsui’s campaign came after Vang for taking corporate donations from Sacramento-area businesses during her city council campaigns, implying that Vang’s vows to not accept money from corporate PACs in her congressional bid is hypocritical.
Verb
-
But the ongoing costs of owning a home, including insurance and property taxes, are still rising, posing an affordability challenge to all homeowners.
-
Prior to the indictment, Liaw was even photographed posing near Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at GTC 2026.
Verb
-
This has become increasingly difficult, with professional players routinely simulating injuries and an offside rule that is interpreted to within fractions of an inch.
-
My research focused on simulating how special light waves interact in liquid crystals and using simple equations to approximate and understand those interactions.
Adjective
-
Infiltrate a swanky New York law firm that may be duplicitous in the opioid crisis, an epidemic that also happens to have taken the life of her daughter.
-
The takeaway, then, isn’t that students are duplicitous and depraved or that technology has eroded their moral core.
Verb
-
Win prizes playing interactive games, network with artists and entrepreneurs and enjoy signature drinks and bar snacks available for purchase.
-
Men leaders can pay attention to and be mindful of who in the workplace may be playing more of an emotional support role that falls outside their job description.
Verb
-
The rule was created assuming that could mean harm or illness, and not in-party fighting.
-
For the past few years, conversations around AI adoption have centered around access to tools, assuming technology alone would drive transformation.
Adjective
-
Not everyone believes, however, that the line is insincere.
-
And so, open door policies rarely fail because leaders are insincere.
Verb
-
It is stored in an inactive form in cells such as the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and immune system—acting as the body’s reserve bank, indicating how much iron is available for future use.
-
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said on Sunday that more than 12,000 people have been displaced by the earthquakes and 774 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including hospitals.
Cite this Entry
“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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