pretentiousness en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree English pretentious Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English pretentiousness From pretentious + -ness.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) The quality of being pretentious.
Near-synonyms: affectation, affectedness, false pretense, pretending
Wines can be described with words like cigar box and “pencil lead,” or flinty or with hints of sandalwood — oenophiles can veer into what many might deem pretentiousness pretty quick.
2023 March 24, Laura Reiley, “Could nonalcoholic wine be the toast of the town?”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 15 May 2023:Possibly her sheer pretentiousness, or that she knew everything about everything, or maybe because she treated her reporters like underoxygenated platypies.
2015, Cathy Lubenski, Trashy Chic:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pretentiousnesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
pretending · affectedness · pretentiosity · gentility · false pretense · affectation
Translations (6)
uk претензі́йність (Translations) · pl pretensjonalność (Translations) · be прэтэнцыёзнасць (Translations) · ru претенцио́зность (Translations) · es pretención (Translations) · es pretenciosidad (Translations)