adj
pretentious
prih-TEHN-shuhs
adj
1
Trying too hard to seem impressive, intelligent, or important, in a way that comes across as fake or overblown.
"The restaurant's menu was full of pretentious descriptions for simple dishes."
"He came across as pretentious, dropping French phrases into every sentence."
How to Use Pretentious
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishShowing off in a way meant to look sophisticated but that actually feels forced or fake.
Common pairings
pretentious nonsense
sound pretentious
Word Forms
more pretentious comparative, most pretentious superlative
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The restaurant's menu was full of _____ descriptions for simple dishes.
Etymology
From French prétentieux, ultimately from Latin praetendere ("to put forward, to claim"). Note the spelling with "t" rather than "s", unlike the related word "pretense".