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pretend

[ pri-tend ]
/ prɪˈtɛnd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR pretend

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

adjective

Informal. make-believe; simulated; counterfeit: pretend diamonds.

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Origin of pretend

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English pretenden, from Latin praetendere “to stretch forth, put forward, pretend.” See pre-, tend1

synonym study for pretend

1. Pretend, affect, assume, feign imply an attempt to create a false appearance. To pretend is to create an imaginary characteristic or to play a part: to pretend sorrow. To affect is to make a consciously artificial show of having qualities that one thinks would look well and impress others: to affect shyness. To assume is to take on or put on a specific outward appearance, often (but not always) with intent to deceive: to assume an air of indifference. To feign implies using ingenuity in pretense, and some degree of imitation of appearance or characteristics: to feign surprise.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pretend

portend, pretend

Words nearby pretend

pretarsal, pretarsus, pretax, preteen, pretence, pretend, pretended, pretender, pretense, pretension, pretensive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to pretend

fool, feign, purport, assume, impersonate, bluff, profess, put on, imitate, suppose, claim, cheat, fish, whitewash, dupe, beguile, allege, counterfeit, fudge, sham

Example sentences from the Web for pretend

British Dictionary definitions for pretend

pretend
/ (prɪˈtɛnd) /

verb

(when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to claim or allege (something untrue)
(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make believe, as in a playyou pretend to be Ophelia
(intr foll by to) to present a claim, esp a dubious oneto pretend to the throne
(intr foll by to) obsolete to aspire as a candidate or suitor (for)

adjective

fanciful; make-believe; simulateda pretend gun

Word Origin for pretend

C14: from Latin praetendere to stretch forth, feign, from prae in front + tendere to stretch
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012