pretender

American  

[pri-ten-der] / prɪˈtɛn dər /

noun

• pretenders
  plural

1. a person who pretends, especially for a dishonest purpose.

2. an aspirant or claimant (often followed byto ).

   a pretender to the throne.

3. a person who makes unjustified or false claims, statements, etc., as about personal status, abilities, intentions, or the like.

   a pretender to literary genius.

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pretender British  

/ prɪˈtɛndə /

noun

1. a person who pretends or makes false allegations

2. a person who mounts a claim, as to a throne or title

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pretenders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pretender

First recorded in 1585–95; pretend + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pretender pretenders

Perhaps only South Africa's Jacques Kallis, who played in many more Tests, is a pretender to the title of cricket's greatest all-rounder which was bestowed on Sobers by fellow legend Richie Benaud.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran and pretender to the throne, was a scheduled speaker, and the event was packed with Iranian monarchists.

From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026

Like many previous movies about those who ply that physical trade, “Rental Family” explores the anguish of a paid pretender troubled by increasingly genuine feelings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

Artists can sniff out genius from fakes, and Thanos sure looks like a parody of a pretender T.O.P. has encountered in the wild.

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2025

The ironbom were the enemies of the northern lords this Baratheon pretender needed desperately.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

And in return, they surely will win a third consecutive championship against a withering and overmatched group of pretenders that could add Skubal only in their dreams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

I care about L.A. enough to hold its leaders to a higher accountability, and to scrutinize posers and pretenders who think they can do a better job.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

Arsenal have been looking for every vital sign that this is the season when they will finally make the leap from pretenders to Premier League champions – but the indications are already ominous.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2024

“Paul is building something special with a two-track career driven by his passion and an unrelenting quality that separates the pretenders from the contenders,” MLW Founder and CEO Court Bauer said.

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024

Masters of power politics, engineers of genius, the Mexica were also upstarts and pretenders, arrivistes who falsely claimed a brilliant line of descent.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann