pretended

American

[pri-ten-did] / prɪˈtɛn dɪd /

adjective

insincerely or falsely professed.

a pretended interest in art.
feigned, fictitious, or counterfeit.

His pretended wealth was proved to be nonexistent.
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.

I pretended I was happy for the space so he didn’t feel bad.

From Literature

They were the only creatures alive who even pretended to like him.

From Literature

Reflecting on his time at the station, Mills told Newsbeat his success and longevity as a DJ had been down to having "pretended to be on in my bedroom from the age of six".

From BBC

But admits that in the beginning, he was not truly ready to change and only pretended he was seeking support "to keep others happy".

From BBC

Josie is chagrined to recognize that she would forgive him, too, if he ever so much as pretended to care about her.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023