# pretentious

/pɹiˈtɛnʃəs/ (US) · /pɹɪtˈɛnʃəs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pretentious
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. making false claims

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

making claims to be special or important when there is no reason for it.

For teachers: making an unwarranted or exaggerated claim to distinction or merit.

- He made pretentious claims about his family's history to sound more noble.
- The author's pretentious tone throughout the preface suggested a level of expertise that the subsequent chapters failed to demonstrate.

## 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.