SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
pretentious
adjective
Trying to appear more important, cultured, or impressive than justified.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Trying to seem impressive
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPretentious implies a gap between the impressive appearance and what is justified. Flashy can describe conspicuous style without that pretense.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See pretentious in use
The pretentious introduction overshadowed a straightforward proposal.
The ostensible purpose of a networking event was to introduce local designers to one another. Its glossy invitation created a veneer of exclusivity, although the organizers had rented an ordinary meeting room. Lina found the description pretentious: it called a short coffee break an 'elevated exchange of visionary perspectives.' She decided to judge the event by what actually happened there.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license