English Meaning & Definitions
Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, or knowledge than is actually possessed.
- “The novel was filled with pretentious language that made it difficult to follow the actual plot.”
- “He gave a pretentious speech about fine art, despite having never visited a museum in his life.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “pretentious”.
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'praetentiosus', from 'praetendere' (to pretend or hold out), which combines 'prae' (before) and 'tendere' (to stretch). Originally, it meant 'full of pretension' or 'making a claim,' but it evolved in the 19th century to specifically describe someone who claims more merit, importance, or culture than they actually possess.
Think of someone who 'pretends' to be 'ten' times better or smarter than they actually are.
Frequently Asked Questions About “pretentious”
1. What is the meaning of “pretentious” in English?
In English, pretentious (adjective) is defined as: “Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, or knowledge than is actually possessed.”.
2. How do you use “pretentious” in a sentence?
“The novel was filled with pretentious language that made it difficult to follow the actual plot.”
3. What are English synonyms of “pretentious”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “pretentious”?
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'praetentiosus', from 'praetendere' (to pretend or hold out), which combines 'prae' (before) and 'tendere' (to stretch). Originally, it meant 'full of pretension' or 'making a claim,' but it evolved in the 19th century to specifically describe someone who claims more merit, importance, or culture than they actually possess.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.