The people who come on the Maury Povich show often make pretentious claims about their lovers cheating on them.
Source: tatoeba (1957)
Pretentious
/pɹɪˈtɛn.t͡ʃəs/
Synonyms for "pretentious" (248 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (50)
Adjective(12 words)
ostentatiousacademic soundingaffectedaffected statearistocraticartierartsierartsyarty designboastfulcultivated tasteelitist
affectedambitiousarrogantartificialartyaureatebedizenedbigbig-soundingboastfulbombasticchichichimericalclassyconvoluteddashingdeclamatoryegotisticelaborateelaborated
Show 1 more word
Noun(11 words)
affected studentsartiestassumingattitudinizingbig shotbigwigsbluestockingbrainiaccantingdilettanteelite
Verb(4 words)
Strong matches (74)
euphuisticexaggeratedexaltedextravagantfancyfeignedflamboyantflamingflashyflauntingfloridflossyfloweryfulsomegarishgassygaudygenteelglorifiedgongoresque
Show 33 more words
gongoristicgorgeousgrandgrandiloquentgrandiosegrandisonanthaughtyhigh and mightyhigh flownhigh flyinghigh soundinghigh-flowinghigh-flownhigh-flyinghigh-hathigh-soundinghigh-swellinghigh-tonedhighfalutinhighfalutinghistrionichoity-toityhyperelegantimposinginflatedinkhorninsincerejohnsonianla-di-dalabyrinthinelexiphanicloftylurid
Adjective(14 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Noun(3 words)
Verb(1 words)
Related words (124)
luxuriousmagniloquentmanieremanneredmarinisticmeretriciousmincingopulentorotundostentatiousoveractedoverbearingoverblownoverdoneoverelaborateoverelegantoverinvolvedoverniceoverrefinedoverwrought
Show 40 more words
peacockishpeacockypedanticpompousprecieuseprecieuxpreciouspresumptuousproudput-onrhetoricalsensationalsensationalisticsententiousshowysnobbishsnottysonoroussplashystagystiltedstudiedstylishsupercilioussuperficialswankswollentalltheatricaltonytoo-tootortuoustumidturgidunnaturalutopianvaingloriousvauntingvisionarywindy
Noun(18 words)
machomost high-societyornamental qualityparadingparvenuposturingrhetorical methodshowboatingshowoffsophisticatingstruttingswaggeringswellheadupstageupstartedwannabeewannabesyuppy
Adjective(34 words)
modishornamental objectornate proseoverweeningplummypompousportentousposhpreppiestpresumptuouspretension ladenprivate club etiquettepuffiestquaintestritziestritzysciolisticshowysnobbiersnobbiest
Adjective(9 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ostentatious, academic sounding, affected, affected, affected.
- Sentence evidence is available for pretentious, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, wiktionary, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "pretentious".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "pretentious"
Keep "pretentious" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "pretentious" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "pretentious", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "pretentious" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
2 entriesadjectivepejorative descriptor
More specific
5 entriesCollocations
6 entriespretentious attitudepretentious behaviorpretentious dictionpretentious rhetoricpretentious stylepretentious tone
Inflections
2 entriesmore pretentiousmost pretentious
Derivations
3 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
29 entriesShowing 16 of 29 words.
Sample sentences
14 total sentences available.
Her nature is neither affected nor pretentious.
Source: tatoeba (328345)
The French language, by the way, is a clear stream that affected writers have never been, and will never be able to ripple. Each century has thrown in this limpid current its fashions, its pretentious archaisms and its preciousness, without anything surfacing from those useless attempts, those powerless efforts. The nature of this language is to be clear, logical and nervous. It won't let itself be weakened, obscured or corrupted.
Source: tatoeba (704834)
You are so pretentious!
Source: tatoeba (1485709)
Showing 4 of 14 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "pretentious"?
Closest matches include ostentatious, academic sounding, affected, affected, affected.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "pretentious"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.