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

Meanwhile, a separate team of coders that made Moltbook, a Reddit-like pseudo social network where OpenClaw agents converse, are joining Meta.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 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

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