[syn: pretentiousness, pretension, largeness]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Pretentious \Pre*ten"tious\, a. [Cf. F. pr['e]tentieux. See
Pretend.]
Full of pretension; disposed to lay claim to more than is
one's; presuming; assuming. -- Pre*ten"tious*ly, adv. --
Pre*ten"tious*ness, n.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
pretentiousness
n 1: lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and
puffed up with vanity [syn: ostentation,
ostentatiousness, pomposity, pompousness,
pretentiousness, puffiness, splashiness, inflation]
2: the quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in
such a manner as to create a false appearance of great
importance or worth) [syn: pretentiousness, pretension,
largeness] [ant: unpretentiousness]