pretender

[ pri-ten-der ]

/ prɪˈtɛn dər /

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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.

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Origin of pretender

First recorded in 1585–95; pretend + -er¹

Words nearby pretender

pretax, preteen, pretence, pretend, pretended, pretender, pretense, pretension, pretensive, pretentious, preter-

How to use pretender in a sentence

First-round matchups and predictionsMetrics — both conventional and less traditional — can provide clues about which teams deserve to be considered contenders, and which are mere pretenders.
What to know about the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs|Matt Bonesteel, Neil Greenberg|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
So, as you fill out your brackets this week, here’s a quick way to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Wednesday’s news and updates on the NCAA tournament|Washington Post Staff|March 17, 2021|Washington Post
And cancer, deceiver, pretender, coward; it cannot even subsist without the vibrant people it depends on.
No One Ever Loses to Cancer|Dushka Zapata|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All was jolly and genial between the king of late night and the pretender to the throne.
Stephen Colbert’s Groveling ‘Late Show’ Debut|Tom Shales|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Instead, the pairing served as a weekly reminder that the generic Low was a mere pretender to the throne.
‘Breaking Bad’ Finale, ‘Homeland’ Premiere: How to Survive DVRmageddon|Jason Lynch|September 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Pic: A stunning MoMA retrospective sheds new light on our greatest pretender.
Cindy Sherman, Actor and Clown|Blake Gopnik|February 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Rush Limbaugh has called Dede Scozzafava a “pretender” and an “extreme liberal Republican” who “might as well be a Democrat.”
The Last Days of the GOP|John Batchelor|October 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Consummate liar and comedian, or true man and no pretender, his eyes did not falter.
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Is it to the emblem of the House of York, or the badge of the Pretender?
Notes and Queries, No. 179. Saturday, April 2, 1853.|Various
A captivating romance of love and chivalry—the adventures of a charming highwayman of the days of the English Pretender.
The Princess Dehra|John Reed Scott
This shall be left in my hands by him for thirty days, during which the pretender shall leave France.
The False Chevalier|William Douw Lighthall
The young Pretender, followed by about fifty Scotch and Irish adventurers, meanwhile, came incog.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2|Camden Pelham

British Dictionary definitions 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

Origin of pretender

Words nearby pretender

Words related to pretender

How to use pretender in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pretender