Synonyms for pretend
prɪˈtɛnd

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. make-believe, pretend(adj)

   the enactment of a pretense

   "it was just pretend"

   Synonyms:
   pretense, pretence, make-believe

   Antonyms:
   real, existent

2. make-believe, pretend(verb)

   imagined as in a play

   "the make-believe world of theater"; "play money"; "dangling their legs in the water to catch pretend fish"

   Synonyms:
   make-believe

   Antonyms:
   real, existent

3. feign, sham, pretend, affect, dissemble(verb)

   make believe with the intent to deceive

   "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"

   Synonyms:
   bear upon, make believe, mask, touch, cloak, touch on, strike, dissemble, move, assume, involve, venture, simulate, impress, affect, hazard, feign, act, impact, sham, guess, profess, bear on, regard, make

   Antonyms:
   existent, real

4. dissemble, pretend, act(verb)

   behave unnaturally or affectedly

   "She's just acting"

   Synonyms:
   dissemble, make believe, play, represent, mask, move, work, cloak, venture, roleplay, playact, affect, hazard, feign, do, act, sham, guess, profess, behave, make, act as

   Antonyms:
   real, existent

5. pretend(verb)

   put forward a claim and assert right or possession of

   "pretend the title of King"

   Synonyms:
   act, make, guess, affect, feign, dissemble, hazard, make believe, profess, sham, venture

   Antonyms:
   real, existent

6. guess, venture, pretend, hazard(verb)

   put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation

   "I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again"; "I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong"

   Synonyms:
   guess, run a risk, imagine, infer, opine, adventure, gauge, dissemble, make believe, gamble, sham, chance, reckon, suppose, embark, venture, estimate, affect, hazard, think, jeopardize, stake, act, take chances, approximate, profess, judge, take a chance, risk, make, feign

   Antonyms:
   real, existent

7. make, pretend, make believe(verb)

   represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like

   "She makes like an actress"

   Synonyms:
   earn, create, take in, pass water, dissemble, relieve oneself, score, lay down, pull in, progress to, prepare, get, stool, make up, hit, arrive at, cook, attain, fix, establish, seduce, defecate, urinate, work, wee, puddle, reach, take, have, pee-pee, shit, stimulate, pee, get to, construct, act, throw, hazard, form, gain, micturate, take a shit, venture, cause, realise, do, give, crap, affect, take a leak, sham, induce, hold, clear, make water, spend a penny, produce, nominate, wee-wee, ready, piss, name, guess, take a crap, draw, bring in, make believe, constitute, feign, realize, piddle, profess, ca-ca, build, make

   Antonyms:
   real, existent

8. profess, pretend(verb)

   state insincerely

   "He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt"; "She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber"; "She pretends to be an expert on wine"

   Synonyms:
   act, make, feign, confess, affect, dissemble, hazard, concede, make believe, profess, sham, venture, guess

   Antonyms:
   existent, real

English Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. pretend

   The distinctive idea of assume is to take by one's own independent volition, whether well or ill, rightfully or wrongfully. One may accept an obligation or assume an authority that properly belongs to him, or he may assume an obligation or indebtedness that could not be required of him. He may assume authority or office that is his right; if he assumes what does not belong to him, he is said to arrogate or usurp it. A man may usurp the substance of power in the most unpretending way; what he arrogates to himself he assumes with a haughty and overbearing manner. One assumes the robes or insignia of office by putting them on, with or without right. If he takes to himself the credit and appearance of qualities he does not possess, he is said to affect or feign, or to pretend to, the character he thus assumes. What a debater postulates he openly states and takes for granted without proof; what he assumes he may take for granted without mention. A favorite trick of the sophist is quietly to assume as true what would at once be challenged if expressly stated. What a man claims he asserts his right to take; what he assumes he takes.

   Synonyms:
   accept, affect, appropriate, arrogate, assume, claim, feign, postulate, presume, put on, take, usurp

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. pretend

   Synonyms:
   feign, similate, offer, allege, exhibit, propound, affect, profess

   Antonyms:
   verify, unmask, detect, test, substantiate, refute

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. pretend(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   feign, affect, simulate, counterfeit, sham

2. pretend(v. n.)

   Synonyms:
   make believe, make a show, profess falsely

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. pretend(v)

   Synonyms:
   claim, simulate, feign, affect

PPDB, the paraphrase database(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "pretend":

   pretending, make-believe, claim, simulate

How to pronounce pretend?

Alex

US English

Daniel

British

Karen

Australian

Veena

Indian

How to say pretend in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use pretend in a sentence?

1. Lawrence Goldstone:

   If Supreme Court chooses to pretend that what was said was not said, and that blatant motive is not relevant, we are back to the late 19th century indeed, in criminal cases, motive and intent is everything. Why not here ?

2. Harriet Martineau:

   The sum and substance of female education in America, as in England, is training women to consider marriage as the sole object in life, and to pretend that they do not think so.

3. Megan Samarin:

   The pandemic has been the defining feature of 2020 and I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and pretend that it did not happen, i still want to celebrate, I still want to send cards to my friends. I don't want to miss that.

4. Kurt Vonnegut:

   We are what we pretend to be, but we better be very careful what we pretend.

5. Stefanie Powers:

   I don't need to go onto Facebook and pretend to have friends I've never even met. To my mind, that kind of destroys the meaning of the word 'friend.' I take exception to that. Because I value and respect friendship.

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