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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

Pseudo leukotrienes were not only present in asthma patients, but their levels closely matched disease severity.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

There was one from Toppling Goliath with images from its flagship Pseudo Sue pale ale.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2023

Then he will head to a Des Moines bar to drink his favorite Iowa beer, Pseudo Sue, and toss beanbags into a cornhole game board during the debate, said his Iowa press secretary, Jeremy Busch.

From Reuters • Sep. 12, 2019

Coltrane skronks, Thundercat makes like Squarepusher in a blender, and Gibbs is a blur of limbs on "Dance of the Pseudo Nymph".

From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2010

His principal works are—"De Divisione Natur�," "Liber de Divine Pr�destinatione," Translation of the Ethics of Aristotle and of the writings of "Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite," and a "Commentary on the Gospel of St. John."

From Donahoe's Magazine, Vol. XV, No. 4, April, 1886 Volume 15 (January 1886 - July 1886) by Various