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Showing results for pretentious. Search instead for pretentio.
Definitions

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.

Here, Coppola brings her respectable, confident disregard for the outsider’s opinion to the documentary format, churning out a film that feels proud but not pretentious.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

It’s performance as artistic expression, the graceful ideal of the sport, and I don’t care how pretentious that sounds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 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

The 87-year-old Pulitzer finalist and Twitter legend Joyce Carol Oates, whose “laboriously pretentious drivel” would be less enjoyable than “eating a bag of sawdust,” per the world’s wealthiest man.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2025

I wondered if he’d like it, or if he’d dismiss it as pretentious.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green