Dictionary

pretentious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• prĭ-tĕnˈ-chəs
• /pɹɪˈtɛn.ʃəs/
• /pɹɪˈtɛn.t͡ʃəs/
• (Southern-England) audio

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.

Meanings

1. Motivated by an inappropriate, excessive, or unjustified desire to impress others.
   • Her dress was obviously more pretentious than comfortable.
   • I recall the height of comfort attained by the green-cushioned "first" with starched white antimacassars and a pretentious grey floor mat on which it seemed a sacrilege to stand, as it was embellished with the North Western conception of Britannia, complete with trident. 1951 October 14, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, pages 703–704:
2. Marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction.
   • The station (1840) was originally Cheltenham but the more grandiose Cheltenham Spa since 1925, which feels a bit pretentious as the town has never allowed itself to assume such airs and graces. 2023 January 11, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: castles and cathedrals”, in RAIL, number 974, page 56:
   • Their song titles are pretentious in the context of their basic lyrics.
3. (obsolete, qualifier:perhaps incorrect) Marked by pretense (not necessarily false pretense); intent upon success; ambitious.
   • ... the first definite and pretentious attempt to make the wardrobe trunk a commercial possibility ... The new trunk would be exploited direct to the traveling public, and he had the means for a pretentious start. 1917 January 14, “Season 1917”, in Trunks, Leather Goods, and Umbrellas, volume 39, number 1, page 54:

Forms

Antonyms

humble · priggish · unpretentious · natural · modest · puritanical · formal · demure · prudish · Quakerish · prim

Deriveds

nonpretentious · pretentiousness · pretentiously

Hypernyms

insincere · foppish · overdone · showy · canting · vain · artificial

Hyponyms

minsitive · artsy-craftsy · pedantic · ad captandum · mincing · mannered · literose · pseudoclassical · sanctimonious · pompous · cutesy-wootsy

Relateds

gaudy · pretender · pretense · simpering · pretension · pretentiosity · fastidious · pretend · false pretense

Synonyms

pansified · stagy · overrefined · theatrical · hoity-toity · fey · Woosterian · pretentious · precious · recherché · highfalutin · genteel · affected · smug · stilted · effete

Translations (59)

nb pretensiøs (intended to impress others) · hu nagyképű (intended to impress others) · es pretencioso (intended to impress others) · tl mapagpanggap (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · hi आडंबरी (intended to impress others) · fi mahtaileva (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · tr havalı (iinformal) (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · it pretenzioso (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ga postúil (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · tr iddialı (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ar مَغْرُور (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · es pretensioso (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ga gáifeach (intended to impress others) · ga taibhseach (intended to impress others) · tr gösterişçi (intended to impress others) · tl mapagkunwari (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · es comparón (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ga gaisciúil (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · de protzig (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · tr göz boyama (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · bg претенциозен (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · nl pretentieus (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · pt pretensioso (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · sv pretentiös (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · bg превзет (intended to impress others) · nb pretensiøs (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · gl pretensioso (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · da prætentiøs (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · hi आडंबरी (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ca pretensiós (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ro pretențios (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · es pretencioso (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · fr prétentieux (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · cmn 炫耀的 (intended to impress others) · mi rangiwhata (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · mk претенцио́зен (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · cs domýšlivý (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ca ostentós (intended to impress others) · de prätentiös (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · be прэтэнцыёзны (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ga thar fóir (intended to impress others) · pl pretensjonalny (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ga sotalach (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · nn pretensiøs (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · fi näyttävä (intended to impress others) · sv anspråksfull (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · tr iddialı (intended to impress others) · da selvhøjtidelig (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · nl zelfingenomen (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ru претенцио́зный (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · cmn 做作 (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · it pretenzioso (intended to impress others) · vi tự phụ (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · tr kendini beğenmiş (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · pt armante (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ga móiréiseach (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · hu elbizakodott (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction) · ru показно́й (intended to impress others) · tr kasıntılı (marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction)