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pretended

pretended

4.7
Made to seem real to trick people
  • adjective
  • /prɪˈtɛndɪd/
translation icon : fingido
  • Her pretended innocence fooled no one in the room.

Examples

  • She gave a pretended smile to hide her feelings.

  • The children listened with pretended interest while the teacher explained the assignment.

  • He greeted us with a pretended enthusiasm that did not seem sincere.

  • His pretended enthusiasm was obvious to everyone.

  • He greeted us with a pretended enthusiasm that did not seem sincere.

  • Her pretended innocence made it hard to believe she knew what had happened.

  • The children listened with pretended interest, acting as if they cared about the story.

Synonyms

false
vspretended
263 2.8

Not real and made to trick people

is focused on making something seem real to mislead people
phony
vspretended
  • Informal
220 5.3

Trying to seem real to deceive people

is presented to seem real specifically to deceive observers
fictitious
vspretended
31 5.1

Not real and made up

is created to seem real to deceive rather than being merely imagined
faux
vspretended
28 7.5

Not real but made to look like something real to copy it

is crafted to appear genuinely real to trick people
mock
vspretended
25 4.3

Made to look or act like the real thing for practice

is used to deceive by appearing real rather than parody
put-on
vspretended
  • Informal
8 7.6

Seems real but is actually false

is the general state of being made to appear real to deceive
disguised
vspretended
6 4.2

Hidden so people do not know the true identity or purpose

is shown as real to fool people rather than just hidden
make-believe
vspretended
3 3.7

Imaginary and made to seem real for play or stories

is presented to deceive rather than for playful pretending
seeming
vspretended
3 4.7

Appearing to be true when it is not

is made to appear real with the clear intention to deceive
fictive
vspretended
1 8.5

Not real and made up for a story or to hide the truth

is used to mean made to seem real to trick others
dummy
vspretended
1 5.2

Not real but made to look real

is created to seem real in order to trick people rather than be functional
feigned
vspretended
6.8

Pretended to be true to make others believe it

is presented specifically to deceive by appearing real
sham
vspretended
6.8

Not real and made to trick people

is about appearing real specifically to trick observers
assumed
vspretended
7.4

Used to hide someone's real name, identity or feelings

is generally about appearing real to mislead rather than adopting a role

Antonyms

218 3.8

Something that is real and trustworthy, not a fake

156 3.2

Truly felt and not fake, for example a smile or apology

How Real

genuine
203 2.0
simulated
4.4
pretended
4.7
fake
833 1.8

Surface Forms

pretended positive

Morphology

pretended = pretend (transparent) = pretend + ed

The adjective 'pretended' is transparently derived from the verb 'pretend' with the addition of the past participle suffix '-ed'.

Etymology

The word pretended comes from Latin parts pre- meaning 'before' and tendere meaning 'to stretch', the same root you see in extend. So, to be pretended is to 'stretch' something forward to make it look real when it is not.