pretender

noun

pri-ˈten-dər How to pronounce pretender (audio)
Definition of pretendernext
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretender Dogs can tell the difference between an actual alpha and a pretender. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 5 June 2026 The three-row SUV market has become a gladiator arena of family haulers, luxury pretenders and oversized fuel guzzlers. — Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 22 May 2026 Now, hardship seems to be an end in itself, a battle scar or badge of honor that distinguishes true backpackers from mere pretenders. — Tim Brinkhof, Time, 4 May 2026 With a light two-game Good Friday schedule, this is a good time to take a closer look at the contenders and pretenders as the season gets down to the wire. — Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
  1. fraud
  2. fake
  3. sham
  4. impostor
  5. deceiver
  6. charlatan
  7. faker
  8. mountebank
Noun
  • Walter also is a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits filed by investors alleging fraud and breach of contract.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Your phone could become part of a botnet The advertising fraud is only part of the story.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • Brunson beats defenders with skill and not size, relying on footwork, fakes and spins that create angles to get his shot off against taller defenders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Making the fakes harder to produce is the answer to that problem.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Noun
  • These sheets and shams are made from Oexo-Tex Certified Organic microfiber material that’s light but surprisingly resilient.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Plus, the set comes with two shams to complete your sanctuary.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of sham
Noun
  • There is a real-life medical condition called Capgras syndrome, a disorder that can be triggered by a brain injury where a person believes that someone close to them has been replaced by an impostor.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That's the premise of te black comedy Phony, which stars Sam Nivola as teenager Sonny Cooke, who wakes up in the hospital after a car accident, convinced that his mother (Connie Britton) has been replaced by an impostor.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of impostor
Noun
  • The actors are perfectly cast, starting with Marmaï’s likable Antoine, the only player here not being the deceiver.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 12 May 2026
  • The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of deceiver
Noun
  • Despite the claims of any number of charlatans who prey on the American brand of cuddly benighted ignorance, the universe will not manifest an alternate reality for anyone who simply wishes for it with sufficient longing.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • You and many others have been taken in by a lowlife charlatan.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of charlatan
Noun
  • To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.
    — Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of faker
Noun
  • Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.
    — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of mountebank

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Cite this Entry

“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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