pretentious

Adjective
US[pree-ten-shuhs]/priˈtɛnʃəs/3 syllables
Synonyms: ostentatious

Open English WordNet

Adjective (3)

  1. making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction“a pretentious country house”“a pretentious fraud”“a pretentious scholarly edition”Opposite unpretentiousSimilar grandiloquent, arty, sententious, artsy-craftsy, high-flown, grandiose, jumped-up, nouveau-riche +1 moreSee also tasteless
  2. intended to attract notice and impress others“an ostentatious sable coat”Synonyms: ostentatiousSimilar flamboyant, flaunty
  3. (of a display) tawdry or vulgarSynonyms: ostentatiousOpposite tastefulSimilar tasteless

Related words dissembling noun, largeness noun, puffiness noun

Word of the day · Sep 29About this word
haphazardadjective

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Pre·ten′tious adjective

Origin: Cf. F. prétentieux. See Pretend.

Full of pretension; disposed to lay claim to more than is one's; presuming; assuming. — Pre·ten′wb-a1′>′tious·ly, adverb — Pre·ten′wb-a1′>′tious·ness, noun

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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