pretending 1 of 2

adjective

as in hypocritical

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

pretending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of pretend
1
as in posing
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 simulating
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 pretending
Adjective
There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding. — Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
Nothing good, presumably, though Terry is at least pretending to be interested in Bret’s script. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026 Forgiveness did not require rewriting history or pretending the experience had been enjoyable. — Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 How Dominique Dillon Responded to Going Viral Her FOX13 colleague Ernie Freeman leaned into the humor with a Facebook post showing Dillon pretending to nap. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026 Blowing up an imaginary balloon, using a pinwheel or pretending to blow out birthday candles can make the practice feel less like a chore. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Aug. 2026 There is no pretending that stage 4 breast cancer is good news. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 10 Aug. 2026 Something proved appealing about pretending to be someone else. — Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2026 Jackie attempts to move forward by pretending she’s unfazed by the breakup. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026 That won’t help, and pretending otherwise is its own kind of denial. — Frances Mei Hardin, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretending
  1. hypocritical
  2. posing
  3. simulating
  4. duplicitous
  5. playing
  6. assuming
  7. insincere
  8. acting
Adjective
  • Some players cited the league’s partnerships with sports betting companies as hypocritical or even laying the foundation for this sort of scandal.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • Amendments placed on the ballot by lawmakers would still need only a statewide majority — a distinction critics call hypocritical.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Verb
  • Nonetheless, the costs of intercepting incoming munitions could prove particularly high if targets are engaged over populated areas, with drones, defensive munitions and falling debris all posing risks to people and property on the ground.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Hickey is shown in a photo wearing camo while posing with four dead turkeys.
    — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of posing
Verb
  • My own view is that the bill should have more restrictive testing requirements around edge cases—for instance, simulating power outages or major emergencies—before driverless vehicles can be deployed.
    — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Critically, their lawyer scattered crumpled gum wrappers in the trash and on the floor, simulating recent activity from multiple prospective buyers.
    — David J. Moore, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of simulating
Adjective
  • Cypher probably is best known for his role as the politics-savvy and sometimes duplicitous Police Chief Fletcher Daniels in more than 70 episodes of NBC’s 1980s cop drama Hill Street Blues from 1981-87.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The more beautiful a woman, the more likely her exterior attributes displayed a duplicitous nature.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of duplicitous
Verb
  • Janssens would be one of those defenders playing in front of Suzuki in a new environment.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Manchester City’s defence was wide open in Sunday’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and that could be a sign of things to come now that Rodri is playing for Barcelona in La Liga.
    — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • His immediate tasks since assuming the top job have been sustaining momentum in Disney's core growth areas, namely its theme parks and streaming divisions.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In a sense, the proof shows that a world in which love never returns is a world whose geometry tears itself apart—assuming, of course, the proof holds up.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of assuming
Adjective
  • Survivors have expressed frustration and criticized the Japanese government's support for nuclear deterrence for being insincere.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Survivors have expressed frustration and criticized the Japanese government’s support for nuclear deterrence for being insincere.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of insincere
Verb
  • Sandy, apparently blind to the interpersonal nuances ailing the deck team, keeps Aesha on deck, Kayley as acting chief stew, and makes Joe acting bosun for the charter.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The performance earned Bateman an Emmy nomination for acting, while his work behind the camera on Black Rabbit also earned him a directing nomination — a fitting double recognition for an actor increasingly drawn to the other side of the camera.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of acting

Browse Nearby Words

pretenders
pretending
pretends
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pretending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretending. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pretending

Nglish: Translation of pretending for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All