HyperDic: pretentious

English > 3 senses of the word pretentious:
ADJECTIVEallpretentiousmaking claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
allpretentious, ostentatiousintended to attract notice and impress others
allpretentious, ostentatious(of a display) tawdry or vulgar
pretentious > pronunciation
Soundspriyteh'nshahs
Rhymesabacus ... zealous: 1164 rhymes with ahs...
English > pretentious: 3 senses > adjective 1
Meaningmaking claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction.
Examples
  • "a pretentious country house"
  • "a pretentious fraud"
  • "a pretentious scholarly edition"
Narrowerartsy-craftsy, arty-craftypretentiously artistic
artyshowily imitative of art or artists
grandiloquent, overblown, pompous, pontifical, portentousPuffed up with vanity
grandiose, hifalutin, highfalutin, highfaluting, hoity-toity, la-di-daaffectedly genteel
high-flown, high-sounding, inflatedpretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals)
jumped-up(British informal) upstart
nouveau-riche, parvenu, parvenue, upstartcharacteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position
sententiousabounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing
sesquipedaliangiven to the overuse of long / long words
See alsotastelesslacking aesthetic or social taste
Oppositeunpretentiouslacking pretension or affectation
Spanishpretencioso
Nounspretensepretending with intention to deceive / deceive
pretentiousnessthe quality of being pretentious / pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false / false appearance of great importance or worth)
Adverbspretentiouslyin a pretentious / pretentious manner
English > pretentious: 3 senses > adjective 2
MeaningIntended to attract notice and impress others.
Synonymostentatious
Narrowerflamboyant, showy, splashyMarked by ostentation but often tasteless
flauntyInclined to flaunt
Oppositeunostentatious, unpretentious, unpretendingnot ostentatious
Spanishfastuoso, ostentoso, pretencioso, rimbombante
Catalanfastuós, ostentós, pretenciós
Nounspretentiousnesslack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity
English > pretentious: 3 senses > adjective 3
Meaning(of a display) tawdry or vulgar.
Synonymostentatious
Broadertastelesslacking aesthetic or social taste
Spanishostentoso, pretencioso
Nounspretentiousnesslack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity

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