Word
pretentious
Phoneticspre·ten·tious, stress on the second syllable
US/pɹiˈtɛnʃəs/
UK/pɹɪtˈɛnʃəs/
Definition
adj. trying to appear more important, intelligent, or high-class than you actually are.
adj. characterised by an exaggerated or unjustified attempt to impress others with a false sense of importance or merit.
Examples
“The restaurant's menu is so pretentious that I cannot understand the dishes.”
“He wore sunglasses indoors and spoke with a fake accent, which made him seem incredibly pretentious to everyone at the party.”
“Critics dismissed the director's latest film as a pretentious exercise in style over substance, noting its heavy reliance on obscure philosophical quotes that added nothing to the plot.”
Examples
simple
“The restaurant's menu is so pretentious that I cannot understand the dishes.”
contextual
“He wore sunglasses indoors and spoke with a fake accent, which made him seem incredibly pretentious to everyone at the party.”
complex
“Critics dismissed the director's latest film as a pretentious exercise in style over substance, noting its heavy reliance on obscure philosophical quotes that added nothing to the plot.”
Real-World Examples
“Will Close’s Simon swings from pretentious artiste – in paint-stained plus-fours and buttoned boots – to Tiggerish lover at the arrival of the experienced Myra (a statuesque Nancy Carroll).” “The narrative, however, centres on the fictional Bertrude, Lizzie’s sister, who is desperate to be noticed and included by the pretentious Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, whose idea of the perfect woman involves her looking near death.” Etymology
From French prétentieux, from prétention, from Latin praetēnsus (“false or hypocritical profession”), past participle of praetendō. Note that pretentious is spelled with a ‘t’, unlike related pretense, pretension. This is due to the French spelling: *-sious does not occur as an English suffix, though -sion and -tion both do.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/pretentious