pretender
[ pri-ten-der ]
/ prɪˈtɛn dər /
noun
a person who pretends, especially for a dishonest purpose.
an aspirant or claimant (often followed by to): a pretender to the throne.
a person who makes unjustified or false claims, statements, etc., as about personal status, abilities, intentions, or the like: a pretender to literary genius.
RELATED WORDS
quack, hypocrite, fraud, actor, deceiver, impostor, faker, imitator, fake, snob, charlatan, dissembler
Nearby words
- pretax,
- preteen,
- pretence,
- pretend,
- pretended,
- pretense,
- pretension,
- pretensive,
- pretentious,
- preter-
Origin of pretender
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pretender
pretender
/ (prɪˈtɛndə) /
noun
a person who pretends or makes false allegations
a person who mounts a claim, as to a throne or title
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
pretender
1590s, "one who intends;" 1620s as "one who puts forth a claim;" agent noun from pretend (v.). Specifically of a claimant to the English throne from 1690s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper