pretender

noun

a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives

a person who makes deceitful pretenses

a claimant to the throne or to the office of ruler (usually without just title)

Roots

praepre- · Latin · before, in front tendo-tend · Latin · stretch

Synonyms for pretender

impostorn shammern fakern phonyadj fakeadj fraudn usurpern poseurn impersonatorn deceivern charlatann mountebankn

Synonyms & related words for pretender

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of pretender — including impostor, shammer, faker, phony, fake, fraud. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to pretender

Explore words related to pretender — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include pretendership, dissembler, pretendant, hypocrite, dissimulator, pseudo, supplanter, charlatanical. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for pretender

Common synonyms for pretender include impostor, shammer, faker, phony, fake, fraud, usurper, poseur — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does pretender come from?

The word pretender breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: pre-, from Latin prae (“before, in front”); and -tend, from Latin tendo (“stretch”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.