pretentious

[pri-ten-shuhs] / prɪˈtɛn ʃəs /

ADJECTIVE

snobbish, conceited

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arty exaggerated grandiose hollow overblown pompous showy stilted turgid

STRONG

ostentatious

WEAK

affected assuming aureate big bombastic chichi conspicuous euphuistic extravagant feigned flamboyant flashy flaunting flowery gaudy grandiloquent high-flown high-sounding highfalutin imposing inflated jazzy la-di-da lofty magniloquent mincing ornate overambitious puffed up put on rhetorical specious splashy swank too-too tumid utopian vainglorious

Antonyms

STRONGEST

genuine honest moderate modest plain simple

WEAK

humble unconceited

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.

“Our business is infested with idiots,” he famously warned, “who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

For Parrot, it would be "pretentious" for the club to consider themselves as a model for other Ligue 1 sides in terms of navigating financial uncertainties.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The couple knew immediately that the piece had to be featured in their property, but they wanted to come up with a way to make it appear less pretentious, she continued.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025

It still is, albeit pricier and more pretentious, if you ask those who grew up there.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025

My formal Spanish must have sounded as pretentious to the ears of the paisano as “Whither goeth my sire?” would have sounded to a semi-literate Ozark mountaineer.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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