pretentious
word
Definition
Trying to appear more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are, often in a way that is annoying or fake.
Usage & Nuances
"Pretentious" is used mainly in informal or critical contexts to describe people, behavior, art, or language that tries too hard to impress. It's negative and implies fakeness or exaggeration. Common with 'a pretentious restaurant', 'pretentious writing', or 'sounds pretentious'.
Example Sentences
The restaurant tries to be fancy, but it just comes off as pretentious.
natural
Some people use big words just to sound pretentious.
natural
Her style is a bit pretentious for this simple event.
basic
He sounded pretentious when he talked about his new car.
basic
Many people find that movie too pretentious.
basic
Honestly, I thought the speech was interesting, but not at all pretentious.
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