1
as in arrogant
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
that pretentious couple always serves caviar at their parties, even though they themselves dislike it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in superior
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a pretentious author whose books only appeal to equally pretentious readers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretentious
For him, the only way to tell those stories without being pretentious is to wrap them in insanity.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Kerouac’s pretentious hitchhiker’s guide lacked the panache, humor, and focus of this one by Douglas Adams.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Kirk Lazarus is a prestigious, pretentious actor who decides to go full method — to put it mildly — in portraying a Black soldier.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Democratic strategist James Carville scolded his party for being pretentious and out of touch with large segments of the population, including young men.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Kerouac’s pretentious hitchhiker’s guide lacked the panache, humor, and focus of this one by Douglas Adams.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Kirk Lazarus is a prestigious, pretentious actor who decides to go full method — to put it mildly — in portraying a Black soldier.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Democratic strategist James Carville scolded his party for being pretentious and out of touch with large segments of the population, including young men.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretentious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretentious
Adjective
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Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Elsewhere, the details lifted from the book suffer in translation – Branagh’s Victor is appropriately arrogant but not adequately tortured; De Niro’s Monster is sensitive and intuitive, but drowns in the film’s hurried, hollow second half.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While The Morning Show presents the news business as glossy and glamorous (and often a little pompous), The Paper takes the opposite view with the documentary crew from The Office now focusing on a dying newspaper in Ohio.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
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Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Design-wise, the Vanguard glasses are a little too ostentatious for everyday wear, and they're not even offered with prescription lenses (unlike the HSTN glasses), but athletes will appreciate them for outdoor sports like beach volleyball, cycling, and running.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
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The natural sublime is big, ostentatious, unmistakable.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Over the course of a conversation that spanned more than a million words and 300 hours, the bot encouraged Brooks to adopt grandiose beliefs, validated his delusions, and led him to believe the technological infrastructure that underpins the world was in imminent danger.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The train will then head to the charming, cliffside resort town of Ravello, where guests will enjoy a two-night stay in Belmond’s grandiose Caruso hotel.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Any notion that this is a high-minded, good-government effort by the administration has to be put in the context that Trump has consistently sought to cast doubt on legitimate elections for at least a decade, dating back to his successful campaign for president in the 2016 election.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The movie, which posits an impending nuclear strike on a major American city, is a flimsy yet high-minded piece of doomsday schlock, largely populated by ciphers in suits and drained of the pulp pleasures that schlock, at its best, can afford.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Both of our co-founders, along with much of our leadership team, are proud Kentucky natives.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
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In photos from the show, the proud mom and aunt could be seen walking down the runway hand-in-hand with her two sons, while Zaya led the way in front of them.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretentious. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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