pretentious
Americanadjective
-
characterized by assumption of dignity or importance, especially when exaggerated or undeserved.
a pretentious, self-important waiter.
- Synonyms:
- pompous
-
making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious.
- Synonyms:
- showy
-
full of pretense or pretension; having no factual basis; false.
adjective
-
making claim to distinction or importance, esp undeservedly
-
having or creating a deceptive outer appearance of great worth; ostentatious
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- pretentiously adverb
- pretentiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of pretentious
First recorded in 1835–45; earlier pretensious; equivalent to pretense + -ious
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.
If I really want to sound pretentious, I’d call the Super Bowl the final fireplace of the digital era, with a live audience that dwarfs every other show in the U.S., even Bluey.
That’s the burden of a comedy devoid of wasted dialogue or pretentious cleverness – and that merely refers to the joke setups and punchlines.
From Salon
It’s performance as artistic expression, the graceful ideal of the sport, and I don’t care how pretentious that sounds.
“You know: Latin. Most names have a meaning in one of the old languages. Latin, Old Norse, Old Centaur, Old Arabian. Old Manticore, if your parents take you to a namer who’s a bit pretentious.”
From Literature
One might say that, three years ahead of the show’s jump to YouTube, Academy voters are making a concerted effort to distance themselves from the perception that the Oscars are elitist and pretentious.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
