pretentious
adjective
pre·ten·tious pri-ˈten(t)-shəs 
1
: characterized by pretension: such as
a
: making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing)
the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him
Richard Watts
Richard Watts b
: expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature
pretentious language
pretentious houses
2
: making demands on one's skill, ability, or means : ambitious
the pretentious daring of the Green Mountain Boys in crossing the lake Amer. Guide Series: Vt.
Amer. Guide Series: Vt. pretentiously adverb
pretentiousness noun
Synonyms
- affected
- grandiose
- highfalutin
- hifalutin
- high-minded
- la-di-da
- la-de-da
- lah-de-dah
- lah-dee-dah
- lah-di-dah
- ostentatious
- pompous
- snippy
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
It is hard to be pretentious or elevated in Yiddish, and easy to poke fun. Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 1988 To anyone ignorant of the underlying physics, it might seem the most arrogant and pretentious necromancy. Carl Sagan, Contact, 1985 She seemed at that first meeting a little pretentious and a would-be intellectual—she was studying sociology in the States, a subject which thrives on banalities and abstract jargon … Graham Greene, Getting to Know the General, 1984 … and then a P.S. running into 20 pages both sides of the paper and coming back to the top of page one—Hegel, Nietzsche, Emerson, Gide, Beethoven, Suarez—all the boys trotted out in reams of pretentious blather. Myles na gCopaleen (Flann O'Brien), The Best of Myles, 1968 The houses in the neighborhood are large and pretentious. that pretentious couple always serves caviar at their parties, even though they themselves dislike it See More
Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 1988 To anyone ignorant of the underlying physics, it might seem the most arrogant and pretentious necromancy. Carl Sagan, Contact, 1985 She seemed at that first meeting a little pretentious and a would-be intellectual—she was studying sociology in the States, a subject which thrives on banalities and abstract jargon … Graham Greene, Getting to Know the General, 1984 … and then a P.S. running into 20 pages both sides of the paper and coming back to the top of page one—Hegel, Nietzsche, Emerson, Gide, Beethoven, Suarez—all the boys trotted out in reams of pretentious blather. Myles na gCopaleen (Flann O'Brien), The Best of Myles, 1968 The houses in the neighborhood are large and pretentious. that pretentious couple always serves caviar at their parties, even though they themselves dislike it See More Recent Examples on the Web If all of this sounds dreadfully pretentious to you, well, step off. Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 17 Aug. 2022 This may sound pretentious, but my allegiance is really just to documenting the truth and history. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 30 June 2022 These wooly, small- to medium-sized pups aren't pretentious in the least. Katarina Avendano, Good Housekeeping, 25 Aug. 2022 Novak stars as Ben Manalowitz, a pretentious New York writer who travels to rural West Texas to make a true-crime podcast investigating the overdose death of a former romantic hookup. Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2022 Both films are surprisingly gentle, as is Flux Gourmet, a wry satire of pretentious artists. David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2022 An eclectic group of pretentious rich and famous gather for the weekend at a hunting resort. Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 2 Aug. 2022 Here was every pretentious avant-garde trick in the multicultural book for a staging of India’s great epic. Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2022 Those words coming from most other people would sound pretentious and strange. Terry Pluto, cleveland, 25 June 2022 See More
Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 17 Aug. 2022 This may sound pretentious, but my allegiance is really just to documenting the truth and history. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 30 June 2022 These wooly, small- to medium-sized pups aren't pretentious in the least. Katarina Avendano, Good Housekeeping, 25 Aug. 2022 Novak stars as Ben Manalowitz, a pretentious New York writer who travels to rural West Texas to make a true-crime podcast investigating the overdose death of a former romantic hookup. Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2022 Both films are surprisingly gentle, as is Flux Gourmet, a wry satire of pretentious artists. David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2022 An eclectic group of pretentious rich and famous gather for the weekend at a hunting resort. Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 2 Aug. 2022 Here was every pretentious avant-garde trick in the multicultural book for a staging of India’s great epic. Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2022 Those words coming from most other people would sound pretentious and strange. Terry Pluto, cleveland, 25 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French prétentieux, from prétention pretension, from Medieval Latin pretention-, pretentio, from Latin praetendere
First Known Use
1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
pretentious
adjective
pre·ten·tious pri-ˈten-shəs
: trying to appear better or more important than is really the case
a pretentious snob
pretentious
adjective
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- arrogant
- pompous
- ostentatious
- grandiose
- smug
- highfalutin
- proud
- hifalutin
- snippy
- la-di-da
- la-de-da
- high-minded
- conceited
- affected
- lah-di-dah
- snobbish
- grandiloquent
- snobby
- vainglorious
- sententious
- supercilious
- uppity
- vain
- bumptious
- presumptuous
- lah-dee-dah
- lah-de-dah
- egotistic
- cavalier
- self-important
- haughty
- rude
- confident
- prideful
- egoistic
- egotistical
- complacent
- aggressive
- disdainful
- boastful
- hoity-toity
- imperious
- assertive
- important
- showy
- braggart
- self-obsessed
- self-aggrandizing
- egoistical
- impudent
- gaudy
- insolent
- self-conceited
- high-and-mighty
- self-satisfied
- self-centered
- high-sounding
- stuck-up
- sure
- self-promoting
- cocky
- cheeky
- high-flown
- bragging
- overweening
- self-dramatizing
- self-complacent
- flamboyant
- flashy
- garish
- high-toned
- glitzy
- airy
- brassy
- self-glorifying
- high-handed
- superior
- audacious
- self-assertive
- self-assured
- lordly
- high-hat
- self-pleased
- bold
- self-asserting
- flaunting
- self-confident
- splashy
- forward
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unpretentious
- modest
- humble
- unassuming
- homely
- meek
- lowly
- unassertive
- passive
- demure
- timid
- retiring
- diffident
- quiet
- bashful
- shy
- mousy
- down-to-earth
- reserved
- mousey
- overmodest
2
as in supercilious
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude a pretentious author whose books only appeal to equally pretentious readers Synonyms & Similar Words
- arrogant
- supercilious
- pompous
- superior
- cavalier
- uppity
- bumptious
- haughty
- assumptive
- sniffy
- presumptuous
- smug
- important
- domineering
- hifalutin
- uppish
- highfalutin
- masterful
- high-and-mighty
- huffy
- dominant
- patronizing
- imperious
- chesty
- authoritarian
- presuming
- toplofty
- snobbish
- condescending
- snobby
- proud
- lofty
- high-handed
- snooty
- dominating
- huffish
- overweening
- self-assertive
- peremptory
- lordly
- boastful
- conceited
- impudent
- pontifical
- bossy
- pontificating
- vainglorious
- high-hat
- bombastic
- disdainful
- toploftical
- narcissistic
- egocentric
- self-asserting
- saucy
- braggart
- vain
- cocky
- stiff-necked
- hubristic
- egotistic
- braggy
- bragging
- blusterous
- egotistical
- magisterial
- impertinent
- swaggering
- egoistic
- prideful
- stuck-up
- blustery
- complacent
- egoistical
- immodest
- self-conceited
- self-satisfied
- self-centered
- self-promoting
- uninhibited
- self-complacent
- extroverted
- self-flattering
- brash
- self-loving
- unreserved
- self-applauding
- self-pleased
- self-affected
- extraverted
- orgulous
- forward
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- humble
- unpretentious
- modest
- lowly
- timid
- diffident
- shy
- bashful
- sheepish
- introverted
- subdued
- passive
- unassuming
- mousy
- demure
- unobtrusive
- deferential
- shrinking
- meek
- unassertive
- unarrogant
- submissive
- compliant
- unaggressive
- acquiescent
- quiet
- cringing
- mousey
- self-critical
- self-doubting
- yielding
- reserved
- overmodest
- cowering
- retiring
Synonym Chooser
The words ostentatious and showy are common synonyms of pretentious. While all three words mean "given to excessive outward display," pretentious implies an appearance of importance not justified by the thing's value or the person's standing.
a pretentious parade of hard words
In some situations, the words ostentatious and pretentious are roughly equivalent. However, ostentatious stresses vainglorious display or parade.
the ostentatious summer homes of the rich
The words showy and pretentious can be used in similar contexts, but showy implies an imposing or striking appearance but usually suggests cheapness or poor taste.
the performers' showy costumes