pretended
Americanadjective
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insincerely or falsely professed.
a pretended interest in art.
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feigned, fictitious, or counterfeit.
His pretended wealth was proved to be nonexistent.
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alleged or asserted; reputed.
Other Word Forms
- pretendedly adverb
- self-pretended adjective
- unpretended adjective
Etymology
Origin of pretended
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; pretend, -ed 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One even pretended to be living with HIV.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
“We tried to have a baby and we tried to have a baby and when my parents and sister and friends asked I pretended I didn’t want one,” Khong writes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
The vice president pretended to pivot from “a longer discussion” of the subject, but then he immediately started pontificating about the culture’s “desire” to classify “celestial beings who fly around “as aliens.”
From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026
It’s that it apparently knowingly produced fake results and falsely pretended they were real and accurate.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
Desperate to quieten Wolf, Torak pretended to spot some distant prey, by standing very still and staring intently.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
