pretentious

(prĭ-tĕn'shəs)
adj.

1. Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified.
2. Making or marked by an extravagant outward show; ostentatious. See synonyms at showy.

pretentiously pre·ten'tious·ly adv.
pretentiousness pre·ten'tious·ness n.

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adjective

1. Characterized by an exaggerated show of dignity or self-importance: grandiose, hoity-toity, pompous, puffed-up, puffy, self-important. Informal highfalutin. See plain/fancy.
2. Marked by outward, often extravagant display: flamboyant, ostentatious, showy, splashy, splurgy. See plain/fancy.

adj

Definition: snobbish, conceited
Antonyms: humble, modest, natural, unaffected, unconceited

IN BRIEF: Trying to seem more important or valuable than is true.

Many people look quite pretentious when they dress up for formal dinner parties.

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.

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For a list of words related to pretentious, see:

• Foolish, Immature, Bigoted, or Trivial
• Bad, False, Evil, Insincere, or Dishonest

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See words rhyming with "pretentious."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Pretentious.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - fordringsfuld, prætentiøs

Nederlands (Dutch)
pretentieus, aanmatigend

Français (French)
adj. - prétentieux

Deutsch (German)
adj. - prätentiös, hochgestochen, protzig

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - απαιτητικός, εξεζητημένος, επιτηδευμένος, επιδεικτικός, ξιπασμένος, κούφος

Italiano (Italian)
pretenzioso, presuntuoso

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - pretensioso

Русский (Russian)
претенциозный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - pretencioso, presuntuoso

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - anspråksfull, pretentiös

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
自负的, 夸耀的, 自任不凡的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 自負的, 誇耀的, 自任不凡的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 자부하는, 우쭐하는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - もったいぶった, うぬぼれた, 見えを張る, 偽りの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مفتخر, متباهي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮יומרני, ראוותני‬

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