pretended 1 of 2

adjective

pri-ˈten-dəd How to pronounce pretended (audio)
Definition of pretendednext
1
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality he shows a pretended affection for his girlfriend's cat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express hoped that his pretended interest in classical music would impress the boss

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pretended

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pretend
1
as in posed
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

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2
as in assumed
to present a false appearance of as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work

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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 pretended
Verb
Tremble’s taunt after his second TD was already coming in for teasing by his teammates postgame, as running back Chuba Hubbard (120 rushing yards, one TD) pretended to be a reporter and asked Tremble about it. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026 Pressed — surely she’s pretended to be sick to get out of a party? — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 The long drives were buoyed by bold play calling, with the Broncos going 4-for-4 on fourth downs, including a trick play in which Madsen pretended to fumble the ball before connecting with sophomore receiver AJ Jones for 7 yards and a first down. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 11 Oct. 2026 To get the tortoise’s DNA material, Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins pretended to feed him, wedged his mouth open with a hard glove and scraped cells from inside his cheek. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026 Russian forces were in the area; some even pretended to be news crews. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 To offset the von Hatz security leak, another OSS team in Istanbul pretended to organize a fake Sparrow mission. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026 During his post-sack celebration, the star lineman pretended to unzip his pants and pee on the field. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026 The pope, formerly Robert Prevost, grew up in a deeply Catholic family in Chicago where the three sons all served as altar boys in church, their parents led nightly recitations of the Rosary and young Robert pretended to be a priest. — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
  1. mock
  2. fake
  3. posed
  4. assumed
  5. strained
  6. double
  7. acted
  8. simulated
Adjective
  • Instead, the beleaguered quarterback continues to slide down mock draft boards as the season matures.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Testing sensors on canisters During the INL demonstration, researchers installed optical fibers outside a mock nuclear fuel canister and tested several arrangements to measure acoustic vibrations.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mock
Adjective
  • When Lee gets to the visitation window, there’s a fake Mekko sitting across from him.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The fake image was attention-grabbing, shady, and timely — in other words, perfect for social media virality but a potential liability for the parties involved.
    — Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Verb
  • Love posed online as a player for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, posting videos of himself running drills with a 49ers helmet, driving in expensive sports cars, and living a lavish lifestyle on social media.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Elevated inflation has posed political problems for Republicans in Congress and is a challenge for the Federal Reserve, which is required by Congress to seek stable prices.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of posed
Verb
  • Bloomsbury Publishing, which assumed control of the book after merging with Bourne’s previous publisher, returned the rights to the author.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Industry Has Already Faced This Problem Industrial automation has never assumed that instruments, controllers or operators will always behave correctly.
    — Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumed
Adjective
  • Rice could return in the coming week after suffering a strained hamstring.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
  • As an 'artificial friend' purchased for an ailing teen, Jenna Ortega tries hard to illuminate this misbegotten Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation, but Waititi's decision to play it for strained, whimsical comedy is ruinous.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained
Adjective
  • Travel and tech accessories include a multi zip case, passport sleeve, double zip wash bag, small laptop case, large flat card holder, key ring with leather strap, and sunglasses case.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Sal Frelick robbed Freddie Freeman of a double with a nice running catch in the right center field gap, but an error on a pickoff attempt at first base brought Edman in to score.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of double
Verb
  • For Rush, a republic that put citizens to death still acted like a monarchy, treating citizens’ lives as its own to dispose of.
    — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Justice Department invoked national security only in court filings days after the White House acted against the reporters.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of acted
Verb
  • Its use during the exercise simulated an attack against an opposing naval force.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic ran small open-weight models on real or simulated low-cost, off-brand Android TV boxes and other types of IoT hardware.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of simulated

Browse Nearby Words

pretend
pretended
pretender
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Cite this Entry

“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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