Meanings
plural pretentiousnesses
- countableuncountableThe quality of being pretentious.
Near-synonyms: affectation, affectedness, false pretense, pretending
2 more examples
Possibly her sheer pretentiousness, or that she knew everything about everything, or maybe because she treated her reporters like underoxygenated platypies.
2015, Cathy Lubenski, Trashy ChicWines can be described with words like cigar box and “pencil lead,” or flinty or with hints of sandalwood — oenophiles can veer into what many might deem pretentiousness pretty quick.
2023 March 24, Laura Reiley, “Could nonalcoholic wine be the toast of the town?”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 15 May 2023Synonyms: pretentiosity, gentility, affectation, affectedness, false pretense, pretending
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe quality of being pretentious.
More synonyms by meaning
nounlack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity
nounthe quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false appearance of great importance or worth)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Polish pretensjonalność
- pretensjonalnośćTranslations
Russian претенцио́зность
- претенцио́зность (pretencióznostʹ)Translations
Spanish pretenciosidad, pretención
- pretenciosidadTranslations
- pretenciónTranslations
Ukrainian претензі́йність
- претензі́йність (pretenzíjnistʹ)Translations
Cite this entry
pretentiousness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pretentiousness
“pretentiousness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pretentiousness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pretentiousness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pretentiousness.
Source: pretentiousness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.