1
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
everyone took her ingrained pretentiousness into account when considering her statements
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ostentation
excessive or unnecessary display
the sheer pretentiousness of the debutante's wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
the utter pretentiousness of the movie is matched only by the incomprehensibility of its story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentiousness
Noun
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But what unfolded in the White House on Friday was a striking departure—an unprecedented display of hostility, arrogance, and political theater that raises serious concerns about America's global leadership.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025 -
Reportedly, Tulip mastermind Charles Hegel (played with perfect measure of condescending arrogance by Josh Brener) has died in Kenya, and took with him all the necessary passwords needed to access the accounts of his many investors.—
Joe Leydon,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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As with Yamamoto-san’s suit, my comfort and pleasure would be the biggest factors here; there would be no room for ostentation.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
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The mansion, often considered a monument to Roaring ‘20s ostentation, stretches from the Intracoastal to the Atlantic Ocean.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Slumming with her sister in San Francisco after her life with her Madoff-like ex in New York implodes, Jasmine Francis isn't quite willing to let go of the affectations that come with living in high society.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Unlike Chase, Aykroyd worked hard to retain Carter’s affectations and appearance, while also adding a slyness that implied a deeper calculation.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This condition is what philosopher Charles Mills, speaking of the American context, labeled epistemological ignorance—a deliberate unknowing, an insistence on the myth of white superiority, of white exceptionalism.—
Christine Winter,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
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And so Tyla’s comments were also taken as an insinuation of superiority over Black people.—
Funmi Fetto,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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His pontificate has been defined by a rejection of pomp.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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The Black History Month reception held at the White House on Thursday had all of the pomp of celebrations past.—
Erica L. Green,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Rabelais points out that there are oddities in the world that cannot fit into any classification scheme, more things in our heaven and earth than are dreamt of in either the medieval pretensions of the summa or the ambitious early modern bibliographic machines.—
Brendan Fitzgerald,
Longreads,
27 Dec. 2024
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So often a potential title decider, the only team here that have title pretensions are Liverpool.—
Andy Jones,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Hollander, hemmed in by more famous portrayals of Capote, emphasizes Truman’s vocal tics and sashaying flamboyance, delivering a performance that’s compellingly mousy and wounded but misses the opportunity to open more of the character’s vulnerability.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
1 Feb. 2024
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Meanwhile, the always captivating Dafoe, at one point wearing full armor, exhibits a not atypical, full-bodied macho flamboyance as a man who regrets not having a son.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington under the pretense of negotiating a peace deal.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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But in the media-state singularity, there is not even the pretense of space between the two worlds.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pretentiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentiousness. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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