pretended

[pri-ten-did]

adjective

1. insincerely or falsely professed.

   a pretended interest in art.

2. feigned, fictitious, or counterfeit.

   His pretended wealth was proved to be nonexistent.

3. alleged or asserted; reputed.

Other Word Forms

• pretendedly adverb
• self-pretended adjective
• unpretended adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pretended¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; pretend, -ed ²

Example Sentences

She said she pretended to be a sort-of fake tour guide when he needed directions and offered to take him around “because he was cute.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s worth remembering: Goop never pretended to be realistic.

From Salon

However, his “realignment” was never faintly as broad or as solid as he pretended it was.

From Salon

It’s not entirely a rhetorical question; a lot of people at least pretended to.

From Salon

He pretended to be a younger boy or girl when contacting other young people before blackmailing them.

From BBC