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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-

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

To investigate their hypothesis, Salomon and his colleagues relied on decades of experience studying lipid oxidation, along with chemical insight, to predict that pseudo leukotrienes existed.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

If people are free to use the time savings to exercise, get outside or enjoy an extra day off, that could be even better than taking pseudo breaks on mundane work tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 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

Most of his shows were hilarious, others so dark that they sounded maniacal, and he had a studied laugh, not quite a cackle—more a pseudo chuckle—that made him sound deranged.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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

Many of us celebrate pseudo- African holidays like Kwanzaa, in addition to Christmas.

From Time Magazine Archive

These new pseudo- relatives could overcome the one immutable truth about families: you can't pick your parents.

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