From Middle English, derived from prefix pseudo-, itself derived from Ancient Greek ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false, lying”).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Other than what is apparent; spurious; sham.
Last week saw perhaps the first major showdown between the pseudo cryptolibertarianism they both espouse and that old-fashioned, resolutely analogue concept known as the nation state. For anyone who has spent any time pondering the intergalactic levels of entitlement among the tech broligarchy and the – until now – total impunity they’ve faced, the arrest and subsequent charging of Durov was a singular moment. 2024 August 31, Carole Cadwalladr, “Don’t rejoice yet, Elon Musk and his tech bros-in-arms are winning the global battle for the truth”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2025:
From Middle English, derived from prefix pseudo-, itself derived from Ancient Greek ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false, lying”).
Meanings
(derogatory) An intellectually pretentious person; a pseudointellectual.
A poseur; one who is fake.
(informal) pseudo-city code
(Internet, clipping) A pseudonym; a false name used for online anonymity.
Issues such as verifiability (for age declared), anonymity (in spite of pseudos and avatars) and traceability are at stake[…] 2011, Divina Frau-Meigs, Media Matters in the Cultural Contradictions of the "Information Society", page 299:
(Internet, abbreviation, alt-of) Short for pseudoelement.