pretend as a noun: - 1
as a verb: - 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
as an adjective: - 1
pretend
noun
1 pretend
The enactment of a pretense:
— It was just pretend.
synonym: make-believe.
verb
1 pretend
Make believe with the intent to deceive.
synonyms: affect, dissemble, feign, sham.
Roget 617:
pretend,
plead,
allege;
shelter oneself under the plea of;
excuse
etc.
(vindicate)
937;
lend a color to;
furnish a handle
etc.
n.;
make a pretext of,
make a handle of;
use as a plea
etc.
n.;
take one's stand upon,
make capital out of,
pretend
etc.
(lie)
544.
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Roget 544:
be false
etc.
adj.,
be a liar
etc.
548;
speak falsely
etc.
adv.;
tell a lie
etc.
546;
lie,
fib;
lie like a trooper;
swear false,
forswear,
perjure oneself,
bear false witness.
misstate,
misquote,
miscite†,
misreport,
misrepresent;
belie,
falsify,
pervert,
distort;
put a false construction upon
etc.
(misinterpret);
prevaricate,
equivocate,
quibble;
palter,
palter to the understanding;
repondre en Normand [Fr.];
trim,
shuffle,
fence,
mince the truth,
beat about the bush,
blow hot and cold,
play fast and loose.
garble,
gloss over,
disguise,
give a color to;
give a gloss,
put a gloss,
put false coloring upon;
color,
varnish,
cook,
dress up,
embroider;
varnish right and puzzle wrong;
exaggerate
etc.
549;
blague†.
invent,
fabricate;
trump up,
get up;
force,
fake,
hatch,
concoct;
romance
etc.
(imagine)
515;
cry 'wolf!'.
dissemble,
dissimulate;
feign,
assume,
put on,
pretend,
make believe;
play possum;
play false,
play a double game;
coquet;
act a part,
play a part;
affect
etc.
855;
simulate,
pass off for;
counterfeit,
sham,
make a show of;
malinger;
say the grapes are sour.
cant,
play the hypocrite,
sham Abraham,
faire pattes de velours,
put on the mask,
clean the outside of the platter,
lie like a conjuror;
hand out false colors,
hold out false colors,
sail under false colors;
commend the poisoned chalice to the lips"
[Macbeth];
ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces [Lat.];
deceive
etc.
545.
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Dutch: femelen, huichelen, kwezelen
2 pretend
Behave unnaturally or affectedly.
synonyms: act, dissemble.
Dutch: kwezelen, femelen, huichelen
3 pretend
Put forward a claim and assert right or possession of.
4 pretend
Put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation:
— I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong.
synonyms: guess, hazard, venture.
5 pretend
Represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like.
synonyms: make, make believe.
Dutch: maken
6 pretend
State insincerely:
— She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber.
— She pretends to be an expert on wine.
synonym: profess.
Roget 535:
assert;
make an assertion
etc.
n.;
have one's say;
say,
affirm,
predicate,
declare,
state;
protest,
profess.
put forth,
put forward;
advance,
allege,
propose,
propound,
enunciate,
broach,
set forth,
hold out,
maintain,
contend,
pronounce,
pretend.
depose,
depone,
aver,
avow,
avouch,
asseverate,
swear;
make oath,
take one's oath;
make an affidavit,
swear an affidavit,
put in an affidavit;
take one's Bible oath,
kiss the book,
vow,
vitam impendere vero [Lat.];
swear till one is black in the face,
swear till one is blue in the face,
swear till all's blue;
be sworn,
call Heaven to witness;
vouch,
warrant,
certify,
assure,
swear by bell book and candle.
swear by
etc.
(believe)
484;
insist upon,
take one's stand upon;
emphasize,
lay stress on;
assert roundly,
assert positively;
lay down,
lay down the law;
raise one's voice,
dogmatize,
have the last word;
rap out;
repeat;
reassert,
reaffirm.
announce
etc.
(information)
527;
acknowledge
etc.
(assent)
488;
attest
etc.
(evidence)
467;
adjure
etc.
(put to one's oath)
768.
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adjective
1 pretend
Imagined as in a play:
— Dangling their legs in the water to catch pretend fish.
synonym: make-believe.
Moby thesaurus: act, act a part, adopt, affect, aim to, allege, appropriate, arrogate, assume, attempt, attempt to, avow, bluff, challenge, claim, counterfeit, cover up, dare, dare to, dissemble, dissimulate, do a bit, dramatize, encroach, endeavor, fake, feign, four-flush, gammon, hazard, histrionize, infringe, invade, lay claim to, let on, let on like, make a pretense, make as if, make believe, make bold, make free, make like, make out, make out like, overact, play, play God, play a part, play a scene, play possum, playact, presume, pretend to, pretext, profess, protest too much, purport, put on, put on airs, represent, seek to, seize, sham, simulate, strive to, study to, take over, take the liberty, trespass, try, try and, try to, tug the heartstrings, undertake, usurp, venture, venture to, wear ... show more.
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