What is another word for pretentious?
822 synonyms found
Pronunciation:
[ pɹɪtˈɛnʃəs], [ pɹɪtˈɛnʃəs], [ p_ɹ_ɪ_t_ˈɛ_n_ʃ_ə_s]
Pretentious is a word that describes someone or something that is trying too hard to be impressive or serious. If you're looking for synonyms for this term, there are plenty of options to consider. For instance, you may describe someone as ostentatious, pompous, affected, showy, or overblown. These words all refer to someone who is trying to appear more important or impressive than they truly are. Other possibilities include grandiose, inflated, or exaggerated. Each of these words has a slightly different connotation, but all can be used as alternatives to "pretentious" when describing someone or something that seems pretentious or phony.
Table of Contents
Similar words for pretentious:
- boastful (adjective)
- exaggerated (adjective)
- fashionable (adjective)
- genteel (adjective)
- old-maidish (adjective)
- ostentatious (adjective)
- overblown (adjective)
- overreaching (adjective)
- plush (adjective)
- pretentious (adjective)
- prideful (adjective)
- proud (adjective)
- self-confident (adjective)
- sententious (adjective)
- snobbish (adjective)
- snooty (adjective)
- snotty (adjective)
- stuck-up (adjective)
- stylish (adjective)
- superior (adjective)
- tasteless (adjective)
- uppity (adjective)
- visionary (adjective)
- affected (adjective)
- ambitious (adjective)
- arrogant (adjective)
- arty (adjective)
- counterfeit (adjective)
- exalted (adjective)
- extravagant (adjective)
- flamboyant (adjective)
- florid (adjective)
- fustian (adjective)
- gaudy (adjective)
- grand (adjective)
- grandiose (adjective)
- highfalutin (adjective)
- hoity-toity (adjective)
- imposing (adjective)
- inflated (adjective)
- insincere (adjective)
- la-di-da (adjective)
- lofty (adjective)
- luxurious (adjective)
- mala fide (adjective)
- mannered (adjective)
- opulent (adjective)
- ornate (adjective)
- patronizing (adjective)
- precious (adjective)
- presumptuous (adjective)
- prudish (adjective)
- puffed-up (adjective)
- quack (adjective)
- rhetorical (adjective)
- self-respecting (adjective)
- shoddy (adjective)
- showy (adjective)
- specious (adjective)
- swank/swanky (adjective)
- uppish (adjective)
- utopian (adjective)
- vainglorious (adjective)
- vaulting (adjective)
- artsy-craftsy (noun)
- arty-crafty (noun)
- flaunty (noun)
- high-flying (noun)
- in a flash (noun)
- in poor taste (noun)
- jumped-up (noun)
- kitsch (noun)
- nouveau-riche (noun)
- parvenu (noun)
- parvenue (noun)
- phoniness (noun)
- pretentious (noun)
- deceiving (verb)
- challenging
- gaudy
- genuine
- nouveau-riche
- overnice
- pompous
- sham
- tawdry
- unprincipled
- other relevant words (adjective)
- other relevant words (noun)
Synonyms for Pretentious:
-
adj.
• boastful- big-headed ,
- bombastic ,
- bragging ,
- conceited ,
- fat-headed ,
- full of hot air ,
- haughty ,
- hifalutin ,
- hot stuff ,
- inflated ,
- loudmouth ,
- on ego trip ,
- self-aggrandizing ,
- self-applauding ,
- self-important ,
- self-praising ,
- smart alecky ,
- too big for one's britches ,
- vain ,
- windy ,
- Strutting ,
- Vaunting ,
- crowing ,
- egotistical ,
- exultant ,
- smart-alecky ,
- swollen-headed ,
- windbag .
- caricatural ,
- hyperbolic ,
- out of proportion ,
- over-wrought ,
- overestimated ,
- overkill ,
- too-too ,
- Amplified ,
- a bit thick ,
- abstract ,
- bouncing ,
- distorted ,
- embroidered ,
- excessive ,
- fabricated ,
- fabulous ,
- fantastic ,
- farfetched ,
- highly colored ,
- impossible ,
- magnified ,
- overwrought ,
- preposterous ,
- sensational ,
- spectacular ,
- steep ,
- stylized ,
- tall ,
- unrealistic .
- Impersonating ,
- Masquerading ,
- artificial ,
- bogus ,
- deceitful ,
- ersatz ,
- facade ,
- fake ,
- false ,
- forced ,
- forged ,
- fraudulent ,
- histrionic ,
- imitation ,
- imposture ,
- mock ,
- ostentatious ,
- overdone ,
- posing ,
- stiff ,
- stilted ,
- studied ,
- synthetic ,
- theatrical ,
- unnatural ,
- assuming ,
- aureate ,
- conspicuous ,
- feigned ,
- flashy ,
- flowery ,
- grandiloquent ,
- high-flown ,
- high-sounding ,
- hollow ,
- jazzy ,
- magniloquent ,
- mincing ,
- overambitious ,
- puffed up ,
- put-on ,
- splashy ,
- swank ,
- tumid ,
- turgid .
- Counterfeited ,
- Imitated ,
- apish ,
- assumed ,
- awkward ,
- contrived ,
- faked ,
- gone hollywood ,
- ham ,
- high falutin' ,
- melodramatic ,
- pedantic ,
- playacting ,
- pretended ,
- pretentious ,
- schmaltzy ,
- self-conscious ,
- shallow ,
- simulated ,
- superficial .
- arduous ,
- bold ,
- challenging ,
- demanding ,
- difficult ,
- elaborate ,
- energetic ,
- exacting ,
- formidable ,
- hard ,
- impressive ,
- industrious ,
- severe ,
- strenuous ,
- visionary .
- aloof ,
- audacious ,
- autocratic ,
- bossy ,
- cavalier ,
- cheeky ,
- cocky ,
- contemptuous ,
- disdainful ,
- domineering ,
- high and mighty ,
- high-handed ,
- imperious ,
- insolent ,
- know-it-all ,
- lordly ,
- overbearing ,
- peremptory ,
- scornful ,
- smarty ,
- smug ,
- snippy ,
- supercilious ,
- swaggering ,
- wise guy .
- bent ,
- brummagem ,
- copied ,
- crock ,
- delusive ,
- delusory ,
- fictitious ,
- fishy ,
- framed ,
- hollywood ,
- misleading ,
- pirate ,
- queer ,
- sham ,
- snide ,
- wrong .
- astral ,
- august ,
- dignified ,
- elevated ,
- eminent ,
- first ,
- high ,
- high-minded ,
- high-ranking ,
- highest ,
- honorable ,
- honored ,
- ideal ,
- illustrious ,
- immodest ,
- intellectual ,
- leading ,
- magnificent ,
- noble ,
- number one ,
- outstanding ,
- prestigious ,
- sublime ,
- superb ,
- top-drawer ,
- uplifting .
- ex pensive ,
- ex-pensive ,
- in ordinate ,
- in-ordinate ,
- ludicrous ,
- more overpriced ,
- more ridiculous ,
- more spendthrift ,
- most overpriced ,
- most spendthrift ,
- over priced ,
- over-priced ,
- un balanced ,
- un conscionable ,
- un reasonable ,
- un-balanced ,
- un-conscionable ,
- un-reasonable ,
- un-restrained .
- ex citing ,
- gassier ,
- gassiest ,
- more peacockish ,
- more swashbuckling ,
- most peacockish ,
- most swashbuckling ,
- re splendent ,
- re-splendent .
- embellished ,
- figurative ,
- florid ,
- high flown ,
- highflown ,
- more embellished ,
- more euphuistic ,
- more garnished ,
- more ornamented ,
- most embellished ,
- most euphuistic ,
- most garnished ,
- most ornamented .
- frou frou ,
- kitschier ,
- kitschiest ,
- kitschy ,
- more catchpenny ,
- more frou frou ,
- more frou-frou ,
- more froufrou ,
- more pizzazz ,
- more screaming ,
- more splendiferous ,
- more tinsel ,
- most catchpenny ,
- most frou frou ,
- most frou-frou ,
- most froufrou ,
- most pizzazz ,
- most screaming ,
- most splendiferous ,
- most tinsel ,
- putting on ritz ,
- putting ritz ,
- putting the ritz ,
- screaming ,
- tawdry .
- awe inspiring ,
- aweinspiring ,
- fabber ,
- fabbest ,
- first rate ,
- firstrate ,
- grandest ,
- more dynamite ,
- more smashing ,
- most dynamite ,
- most smashing ,
- un-real ,
- very good .
- mind blowing ,
- mindblowing ,
- more mega ,
- most mega ,
- one for book ,
- something to write home about ,
- something write home about .
- dis tended ,
- dis-tended ,
- ex tended ,
- ex-tended ,
- filled ,
- more aggrandized ,
- more augmented ,
- more dilated ,
- more dropsical ,
- more rhapsodical ,
- more spread ,
- more stretched ,
- more surcharged ,
- most aggrandized ,
- most augmented ,
- most dilated ,
- most dropsical ,
- most rhapsodical ,
- most spread ,
- most stretched ,
- most surcharged ,
- sur charged ,
- sur-charged .
- dis ingenuous ,
- dis simulating ,
- dis-ingenuous ,
- dis-simulating ,
- doubledealing ,
- hypo critical ,
- hypo-critical ,
- in sincere ,
- in sincerer ,
- in sincerest ,
- in-sincere ,
- in-sincerer ,
- in-sincerest ,
- mendacious ,
- more dissembling ,
- more dissimulating ,
- most dissembling ,
- most dissimulating ,
- perfidious ,
- un faithful ,
- un truer ,
- un truest ,
- un truthful ,
- un-faithful ,
- un-truer ,
- un-truest ,
- un-truthful ,
- untruthful .
- De Luxe ,
- de-luxe ,
- fit for a king queen ,
- fit for a king- queen ,
- fit for king queen ,
- fit for king- queen ,
- in lap luxury ,
- in lap of luxury ,
- in the lap luxury ,
- more luxurious ,
- more pampered ,
- more pleasure loving ,
- more pleasure-loving ,
- more pleasureloving ,
- more upscale ,
- most pampered ,
- most pleasure loving ,
- most pleasure-loving ,
- most pleasureloving ,
- most upscale ,
- pleasure loving ,
- pleasureloving ,
- self indulgent ,
- selfindulgent ,
- sybaritic ,
- up scale ,
- up-scale ,
- well appointed ,
- wellappointed .
- co pious ,
- co-pious ,
- frillier ,
- frilliest ,
- more profusive ,
- more upholstered ,
- most profusive ,
- most upholstered ,
- up holstered ,
- up-holstered ,
- well heeled ,
- well off ,
- well to do ,
- well-heeled ,
- wellheeled ,
- welloff .
- High-wrought ,
- be decked ,
- be-decked ,
- glitzier ,
- glitziest ,
- glossy ,
- high wrought ,
- highwrought ,
- more bedecked ,
- more high wrought ,
- more high-wrought ,
- more highwrought ,
- more jeweled ,
- more overelaborate ,
- most bedecked ,
- most high wrought ,
- most high-wrought ,
- most highwrought ,
- most jeweled ,
- most overelaborate ,
- over elaborate ,
- over-elaborate .
- more alembicated ,
- more overnice ,
- more overrefined ,
- more precieux ,
- most alembicated ,
- most overnice ,
- most overrefined ,
- most precieux ,
- over nice ,
- over refined ,
- overnice .
- more overfamiliar ,
- most overfamiliar ,
- over confident ,
- over familiar ,
- over weening ,
- over-familiar ,
- over-weening ,
- overweening ,
- pre sumptuous ,
- pre-sumptuous ,
- self assertive ,
- self assured ,
- self satisfied ,
- self-assertive ,
- selfassertive ,
- selfassured ,
- selfsatisfied .
- de mure ,
- de-mure ,
- more overexact ,
- more overmodest ,
- more simpering ,
- most overexact ,
- most overmodest ,
- most simpering ,
- narrow minded ,
- narrowminded ,
- over exact ,
- over modest ,
- over-exact ,
- overexact ,
- overmodest ,
- up tight ,
- up-tight .
- brokendown ,
- dis creditable ,
- dis graceful ,
- dis honorable ,
- dis reputable ,
- dis-creditable ,
- dis-graceful ,
- dis-honorable ,
- dis-reputable ,
- in glorious ,
- in-glorious ,
- junkier ,
- junkiest ,
- junky ,
- more unrespectable ,
- most unrespectable ,
- not snuff ,
- not to snuff ,
- not up snuff ,
- not up to snuff ,
- un respectable ,
- un-respectable .
- in accurate ,
- in correct ,
- more casuistic ,
- more sophistical ,
- most beguiling ,
- most casuistic ,
- most sophistical ,
- un sound ,
- un sounder ,
- un-sound ,
- un-sounder ,
- un-soundest .
-
n.
-
•
- plain .
- ambidextrou ,
- backhandeds ,
- deceitfuls ,
- deceptives ,
- deviou ,
- dis ingenuousness ,
- dis ingenuousnesses ,
- dis-ingenuousness ,
- dis-ingenuousnesses ,
- disingenuou ,
- dissemblings ,
- dissimulatings ,
- duplicitou ,
- evasives ,
- faithlesses ,
- falses ,
- hypocriticals ,
- lyings ,
- mendaciou ,
- perfidiou ,
- pretentiou ,
- shifties ,
- snides ,
- two faceds ,
- two-faceds ,
- twofaceds ,
- un faithfuls ,
- un trues ,
- un-faithfuls ,
- un-trues ,
- unfaithfuls ,
- untrues ,
- untruthfuls .
-
v.
• deceiving Other synonyms:
- charming ,
- disingenuous ,
- exaggerated ,
- fey ,
- hail-fellow-well-met ,
- insincere ,
- ornate ,
- pat ,
- phony ,
- puffed-up ,
- soapy ,
- splurgy ,
- spurious ,
- strained ,
- sugary ,
- two-faced ,
- unctuous ,
- vulgar .
- flamboyant .
Other relevant words:
- Crocker ,
- Double dealing ,
- Euphuistic ,
- Froufrou ,
- Magnific ,
- Mega ,
- Profusive ,
- Rhapsodical ,
- Surcharged ,
- affected ,
- airish ,
- alembicated ,
- apparently right ,
- arrogant ,
- artsy ,
- arty ,
- biggety ,
- boastful ,
- broken down ,
- campier ,
- campiest ,
- campy ,
- casuistic ,
- catchpenny ,
- chichi ,
- cold-shoulder ,
- coldshoulder ,
- counterfeit ,
- delusional ,
- dropsical ,
- exalted ,
- extravagant ,
- fab ,
- first class ,
- firstclass ,
- frilly ,
- frou-frou ,
- fustian ,
- gassy ,
- gaudy ,
- glitzy ,
- grand ,
- gussied up ,
- hammy ,
- high-falutin' ,
- highest-ranking ,
- highfaluting ,
- highhanded ,
- hoity-toity ,
- ideological ,
- imposing ,
- in the lap of luxury ,
- jeweled ,
- la-di-da ,
- luxurious ,
- mannered ,
- not genuine ,
- not kosher ,
- on an ego trip ,
- one for the book ,
- opportunistic ,
- opulent ,
- out-standing ,
- over-confident ,
- over-modest ,
- over-nice ,
- over-refined ,
- overblown ,
- overelaborate ,
- overfamiliar ,
- overpriced ,
- overrefined ,
- patronizing ,
- peacockish ,
- pie-in-the-sky ,
- pleasure-loving ,
- plushy ,
- pontifical ,
- precieux ,
- precious ,
- prideful ,
- proud ,
- pumped up ,
- putting on the ritz ,
- rhetorical ,
- schlocky ,
- sententious ,
- showy ,
- sniffy ,
- snobbish ,
- snooty ,
- snotty ,
- soft shell ,
- something else ,
- sophistical ,
- specious ,
- splendiferous ,
- stagier ,
- stagiest ,
- stagy ,
- superior ,
- suppositious ,
- supposititious ,
- swashbuckling ,
- tasteless ,
- top drawer ,
- top-ranking ,
- unrespectable ,
- uppity ,
- upscale ,
- utopian ,
- vainglorious ,
- with-it ,
- won't fly .
-
•
-
•
How to use "Pretentious" in context?
Pretentiousness has been defined as an excessive and artificial high opinion of oneself. When applied to individuals, it can refer to a tendency to be overly obsessed with one's own appearance, accomplishments, or mannerisms. In some cases, pretentiousness may be a sign of insecurity or a disruptive behavior pattern.
There is no one-size-fits-all definition of pretentiousness, but some common signs include excessively high standards, a need for admiration, a strong sense of self-importance, and a focus on looks and luxury over substance.
Paraphrases for Pretentious:
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-
Equivalence
-
Verb, past participle
conceited.
-
Verb, past participle
-
Other Related
-
Adjective
arty, conceited, grandiose, ostentatious, presumptuous, stuck-up, thoughtless, cocky.
-
Adjective
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