pretender

[pri-ten-der]

noun

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.

pretender

/ prɪˈtɛndə /

noun

1. a person who pretends or makes false allegations

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pretender¹

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

Example Sentences

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.

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Occasionally a pretender has exploded out of the blocks in early season, winning games, throwing shapes, threatening to upset the way of things, but they've always been cut down by the Glasgow goliaths.

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The game was billed as a meeting between the club that wears the crown and the pretenders whose recent attempts to win the title have ended in the bitter disappointment of falling short.

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And finally, the much expected transition, with the Italian legend stepping aside to take charge of the Brazil national team, and the young pretender Alonso returning to the Bernabeu as his successor.

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It's a tournament's watershed, where contenders rise and pretenders are washed away.

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