pretended

[pri-ten-did] / prɪˈtɛn dɪd /

ADJECTIVE

alleged; imaginary

Synonyms

STRONG

affected assumed avowed bluffing cheating concealed counterfeit covered dissimulated fake falsified feigned lying masked mock pretend professed purported quack sham shammed simulated supposed

WEAK

artificial bogus charlatan factitious false fictitious impostrous imposturous make believe ostensible phony pseudo put on so-called spurious

Antonyms

STRONG

bare exposed genuine open original real revealed true

WEAK

sincere

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But as Hull wrote: “Spirit Airlines wasn’t perfect. But it was safe, and it never pretended to be something it wasn’t.”

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

“We tried to have a baby and we tried to have a baby and when my parents and sister and friends asked I pretended I didn’t want one,” Khong writes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The band joked they had snuck in a vial of their own tears to promote their single A Tear in Space, and pretended to hide them in the capsule.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The vice president pretended to pivot from “a longer discussion” of the subject, but then he immediately started pontificating about the culture’s “desire” to classify “celestial beings who fly around “as aliens.”

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

“It’s just—everyone disappeared when my dad got sick, or they pretended nothing was happening. And you . . .” He meets my eyes for a split second, then looks back down.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

pretended

Example Sentences

Related Words