pretentious
Americanadjective
-
characterized by assumption of dignity or importance, especially when exaggerated or undeserved.
a pretentious, self-important waiter.
- Synonyms:
- pompous
-
making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious.
- Synonyms:
- showy
-
full of pretense or pretension; having no factual basis; false.
adjective
-
making claim to distinction or importance, esp undeservedly
-
having or creating a deceptive outer appearance of great worth; ostentatious
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- pretentiously adverb
- pretentiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of pretentious
First recorded in 1835–45; earlier pretensious; equivalent to pretense + -ious
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.
“You know: Latin. Most names have a meaning in one of the old languages. Latin, Old Norse, Old Centaur, Old Arabian. Old Manticore, if your parents take you to a namer who’s a bit pretentious.”
From Literature
One might say that, three years ahead of the show’s jump to YouTube, Academy voters are making a concerted effort to distance themselves from the perception that the Oscars are elitist and pretentious.
From Salon
“It forced itself upon me. You know, when authors say words like, ‘There was no other choice than to write this thing,’ I always thought it sounded a little pretentious,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times
The couple knew immediately that the piece had to be featured in their property, but they wanted to come up with a way to make it appear less pretentious, she continued.
From MarketWatch
It contains lots of instances of its heroine stopping to wonder what everything means, which is another way of saying it’s ponderous and pretentious.
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.
