pretentious

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word pretentious. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word pretentious, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say pretentious in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word pretentious you have here. The definition of the word pretentious will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofpretentious, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Alternative forms

  • prætentious (rare, pedantic or (esp. self-referentially) humorous)

Etymology

From French prétentieux, from prétention, from Latin praetēnsus (false or hypocritical profession), past participle of praetendō.

Note that pretentious is spelled with a ‘t’, unlike related pretense, pretension. This is due to the French spelling: *-sious does not occur as an English suffix, though -sion and -tion both do.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɹɪˈtɛnʃəs/
  • (file)

Adjective

pretentious (comparative more pretentious, superlative most pretentious)

  1. Intended to impress others.
    Her dress was obviously more pretentious than comfortable.
    • 1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, pages 703-704:
      I recall the height of comfort attained by the green-cushioned "first" with starched white antimacassars and a pretentious grey floor mat on which it seemed a sacrilege to stand, as it was embellished with the North Western conception of Britannia, complete with trident.
  2. Marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction.
    Their song titles are pretentious in the context of their basic lyrics.
    • 2023 January 11, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: castles and cathedrals”, in RAIL, number 974, page 56:
      The station (1840) was originally Cheltenham but the more grandiose Cheltenham Spa since 1925, which feels a bit pretentious as the town has never allowed itself to assume such airs and graces.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ The Concise Oxford English Dictionary

Anagrams