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• pseudo
  pseudo

  adjective

  not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham.
• pseudo-
  pseudo-

  a combining form meaning “false,” “pretended,” “unreal,” used in the formation of compound words (pseudoclassic; pseudointellectual ): in scientific use, denoting close or deceptive resemblance to the following element (pseudobulb; pseudocarp ), and used sometimes in chemical names of isomers (pseudoephedrine ).

pseudo

¹ American  

[soo-doh] / ˈsu doʊ /

adjective

1. not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham.

2. almost, approaching, or trying to be.

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pseudo- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “false,” “pretended,” “unreal,” used in the formation of compound words (pseudoclassic; pseudointellectual ): in scientific use, denoting close or deceptive resemblance to the following element (pseudobulb; pseudocarp ), and used sometimes in chemical names of isomers (pseudoephedrine ).

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pseudo- ¹ British  

combining form

1. false, pretending, or unauthentic

   pseudo-intellectual

2. having a close resemblance to

   pseudopodium

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pseudo ² British  

/ ˈsjuːdəʊ /

adjective

1. informal not genuine; pretended

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Etymology

Origin of pseudo¹

First recorded in 1940–45; independent use of pseudo-

Origin of pseudo-²

< Greek, combining form of pseudḗs false, pseûdos falsehood

Explanation

Pseudo is something or someone fake trying to pass as the real thing — a fraud or impostor. Pseudo can be a person who is a faker, but it's usually a prefix. For example, a pseudo-intellectual is trying to convince you he has a great, educated mind, even though he doesn't. A pseudo-celebrity isn't really very famous. You can buy pseudo-Chanel bags from shifty sidewalk vendors: another name for them might be rip-offs. They look like the real thing but aren't, though they don't cost as much either. Anything pseudo isn't real or genuine.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pseudo pseudo-

The barrage cooled off the courtside celebrities and sucked the energy out of a room stuffed with loyal and pseudo fans who’d again paid far too much to be there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

A Reddit-like pseudo social network for OpenClaw agents called Moltbook, where chatbots converse, has also grabbed headlines and provoked soul-searching over AI.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

Salomon and his team found that pseudo leukotrienes are created when free radicals add oxygen to lipids.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

Their goal is to provide as much support to their athletes as possible, using their facilities as a gym, baseball lab and pseudo health clinic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025

He is serious and does not come on with all of that pseudo stuff like you always did.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

These same reactions exhibit different kinetic behaviors when the specific conditions aren’t met, and for this reason the more prudent term pseudo- zero-order is sometimes used.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

His book The Demon Haunted World, completed just before his death in 1996, is perhaps the best antidote to fuzzy thinking about pseudo- science and irrationality in print today.

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

Instead of creating a boringly deferential pseudo- 18th century building, he has both respected tradition and done something entirely original.

From Time Magazine Archive

Among political insiders too, the volume and repetition of charges have created a kind of shell-shocked wariness as to what revelation or pseudo- revelation might be coming next.

From Time Magazine Archive

Despite the fact that Wagner had learnt his trade writing pseudo- Italian operas, by the time he reached his maturity, he had moved decisively and deliberately away from an Italian style.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall