Pretentious
/prɪˈtɛnʃəs/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Pretentious means acting or looking like you are better, more important, or smarter than you really are. It often describes people, styles, or things that try too hard to impress others but seem fake or overdone. People may feel annoyed or think it is not honest when something or someone is pretentious.
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See It in Action
Acting or looking more important or clever than really true
- •He gave a pretentious speech full of big words no one understood.
- •The restaurant’s pretentious menu used fancy names for simple dishes.
- •She wore a pretentious outfit to the party to get attention.
Style or behavior that seems fake or made to impress others
- •The movie was too pretentious and felt like it was trying too hard to be artistic.
- •His pretentious attitude made people avoid talking to him.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "pretentious" like "showy," but with a negative feeling—trying too hard to look special or important
- ✓Picture someone wearing very fancy clothes and using big words just to make others think they are smart or rich
- ✓It’s the feeling when you meet someone who talks about things to impress you but you feel they are not being real
- ✓Sounds like "pre-TEN-shus" → imagine someone trying to get TEN times more attention than they deserve
- ✓Think of a movie character who acts like a king but is really just an ordinary person pretending
- ✓NOT like "confident" (which is natural and positive), pretentious is confidence that feels fake or forced
- ✓NOT like "simple" or "natural," pretentious things are often complicated or decorated to seem better
- ✓NOT like "proud" (which can be healthy), pretentious is pride that feels like showing off or lying
Try Other Words
- •Arrogant: thinking you are better than others (Use when the person feels proud in a rude way)
- •Snobbish: looking down on others and acting superior (Use when the person thinks only certain people or styles are good)
- •Ostentatious: very fancy or loud to attract attention (Use when the focus is on showing wealth or style)
- •Affected: not natural, made to impress (Use when behavior or style is artificial and forced)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "pre-" (before) + root "ten(t)" from Latin "tendere" meaning to stretch or strive + suffix "-ious" (having the quality of)
- •Etymology: From Latin "praetendere" meaning to pretend or stretch forward, used in English from the 17th century meaning to claim or show more than true
- •Historical development: Originally related to claiming or pretending something, now used to describe people or things that try to seem more important or impressive than they really are
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to criticize people, styles, or behaviors that feel fake or too much trying to impress
Reflect & Connect
•When can trying to impress others be positive, and when does it become pretentious?
•How do cultural differences affect what people see as pretentious behavior or style?
Fill in the blanks
1.He spoke in a pretentious way, using big words to ___ others but many felt he was not sincere.
2.The restaurant’s pretentious menu made simple food sound ___ and expensive.
3.Unlike confident people, pretentious people try to ___ more importance than they have.
4.She acted pretentious at the party, trying to ___ all attention on herself.
5.Pretentious behavior often makes others feel ___ or annoyed.
6.The movie was called pretentious because it seemed to try ___ to be artistic without real meaning.
7.People often avoid talking to someone who is pretentious because they feel the person is ___ or fake.