1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
In mock drafts, Hampton is often mocked to the early twenties or even late twenties to a team like the Washington Commanders.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Afterward, a mock court-martial was held, complete with the sentencing and execution of a private accused of desertion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These platforms sell complete phishing kits—web hosting, SMS delivery systems, fake landing pages, encryption tools—to other cybercriminals who want to run scams at scale.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Frisco police are investigating a series of fake social media posts made this week after the killing of a 17-year-old student at a track meet, Police Chief David Shilson said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 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
-
But the discussion around Golden this season has been muted, strained and careful all the way to the end, Monday’s dramatic 65-63 comeback win against Houston to seize the title.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Throughout the series, the strained relationship between father and son highlights the repercussions of family communication breakdowns.—
Laurel Donnellan,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
By the time Survivor’s post-merge double elimination episode was complete, only one original Vula member stood to live another day.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
10 Apr. 2025
-
By that same time next year, Munn had a nipple delay procedure, lymph node dissection, a double mastectomy, and reconstructive surgery.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Our nurses who acted with such courage and dedication during the pandemic.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Reese acted as a robot, basically.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
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 the case against Allied Van Lines Moving and Storage, the larger Allied Van Lines Inc. accused the defendant of trademark infringement, false descriptions, federal trademark dilution, cybersquatting, injury to its business reputation and dilution, and misappropriation and unfair competition.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Nothing progressive or compassionate about continuing that false hope which attracts people to make those journeys.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share