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What is another word for pretending?

Need synonyms for pretending? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Contexts ▼

Noun

The action of acting as if something is different from what it actually is

The action of pretending or imagining that things are better than they really are

An overt and pretentious display intended to attract attention

Adjective

Ostensibly employed, but wasting time

Likely, capable of, or designed to, deceive

Verb

Present participle for to make a false show or pretense of

Present participle for to play or act out a (usually imaginary) role

Present participle for to imagine or fantasize about something

Present participle for to purport or make a false claim about something

Present participle for to make a false show or pretense of

Present participle for to tell a lie or something that is untrue

Present participle for to claim or profess to be or to appear to be or do something

Present participle for to pretend to be someone or something that one is not

Present participle for to tease, typically in a good-natured way

Present participle for to assume or consider that something is true or correct

Present participle for to act out a character, typically as a performance

… more ▼

Noun

▲

The action of acting as if something is different from what it actually is

pretence^UK

pretense^US

phoney^UK

phony^US

more ❯

“I'm tired of all the deception and pretending!”

Noun

▲

The action of pretending or imagining that things are better than they really are

Noun

▲

An overt and pretentious display intended to attract attention

splendour^UK

splendor^US

pizzazz^US

pzazz^UK

glamour^UK

glamor^US

vigour^UK

vigor^US

luster^US

lustre^UK

pomp and circumstance

state

formality

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Ostensibly employed, but wasting time

Adjective

Likely, capable of, or designed to, deceive

phoney^UK

phony^US

off-colour^UK

off-color^US

skilful^UK

skillful^US

unsavoury^UK

unsavory^US

intentionally misleading

caviling^US

cavilling^UK

flakey^US

flaky^UK

like a snake in the grass

economical with the truth

bearing false witness

adroit

deft

devilish

dexterous^US

dextrous^UK

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for to make a false show or pretense of

passing oneself off as

making as if

putting on a false front

shucking and jiving

claiming falsely

faking out

going through the motions

giving the appearance of

making a show of

lying

fabricating

going through the motions of

putting up a front of

presenting a false face

presenting a false front

putting on a pretense

playing to the gallery

putting on a false display

giving a false identity to

covering up

putting up a smoke screen

assuming the character of

representing oneself as

passing as

masquerading as

doing an impression of

disguising oneself as

minimizing^US

minimising^UK

sweeping under the rug

sweeping under the carpet

harbouring^UK

squirreling^US

harboring^US

putting out of the way

holing up

making inconspicuous

putting up a smokescreen

keeping under your hat

more ❯

“I cannot pretend to understand the problem.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to play or act out a (usually imaginary) role

passing oneself off as

“It was a huge adventure and we'd play silly games and pretend we were pirates on a quest for gold.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to imagine or fantasize about something

imagining

fantasising^UK

fantasizing^US

daydreaming

envisioning

visualising^UK

visualizing^US

building castles in Spain

building castles in the air

indulging in fancy

building castles in air

living in a dream world

indulging in wool-gathering

giving free rein to the imagination

seeing in your mind's eye

forming a picture of

forming a mental picture of

conjuring up an image of

realising^UK

realizing^US

forming an impression of

building up a picture of

reconstructing

regarding

conjuring up a picture of

conjuring up a mental picture of

thinking about

creating in your mind

idealizing^US

idealising^UK

taking as a hypothesis

conjuring up pictures

having hallucinations

thinking it conceivable

thinking likely

having an idea

thinking it likely

setting one's heart on

setting your sights on

seeing pink elephants

modelling^UK

modeling^US

more ❯

“My little sister always liked to pretend that she was a princess.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to purport or make a false claim about something

emphasizing^US

emphasising^UK

giving an undertaking

shooting off one's mouth

shooting one's wad

crossing one's heart and hope to die

swearing on the Bible

stating under oath

making an affidavit

owning up

acknowledging publicly

getting off your chest

getting on soapbox

blowing hot air

making a public declaration of

more ❯

“There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to make a false show or pretense of

Verb

▲

Present participle for to tell a lie or something that is untrue

departing from the truth

not telling the truth

trumping up

making up

telling a terminological inexactitude

creating fiction

telling a fib

speaking with forked tongue

pulling the wool over someone's eyes

telling a little white lie

pulling someone's leg

creating out of thin air

saying something untrue

perjuring oneself

putting on the wrong track

breaking promise

committing perjury

bearing false witness

throwing off the scent

putting up a front

putting on

sending on a wild goose chase

leading astray

BSing

lacking candor

giving the wrong impression

leading up the garden path

giving someone a bum steer

victimising^UK

putting up smoke screen

ripping off

putting on an act

giving wrong information to

catching

ensnaring

pulling a swifty on

leading down the garden path

double-crossing

pulling a fast one on

putting on false front

victimizing^US

leading up garden path

imposing on

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for to claim or profess to be or to appear to be or do something

Verb

▲

Present participle for to pretend to be someone or something that one is not

Verb

▲

Present participle for to tease, typically in a good-natured way

mucking someone about

satirizing^US

taking the piss out of

satirising^UK

making a monkey out of

pulling someone's leg

treating with contempt

holding up to ridicule

pulling someone's chain

treating contemptuously

playing a practical joke on

pooh-poohing

telling jokes

getting a rise out of

taking a rise out of

pouring scorn on

showing up

playing a practical joke

gambolling^UK

gamboling^US

leading up the garden path

making a laughing-stock

making someone a laughing stock

laughing out of court

reveling^US

revelling^UK

disdaining

having a joke on somebody

bedeviling^US

bedevilling^UK

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for to assume or consider that something is true or correct

theorising^UK

theorizing^US

having sneaking suspicion

swearing by

setting forth

taking stock in

taking as a hypothesis

taking as gospel truth

coming to the conclusion

venturing a guess

working out

having a sneaking suspicion

gauging^UK

gaging^US

drawing the inference

realizing^US

realising^UK

forming an opinion of

going out on a limb

making an estimate of

summing up

interpreting

contending

visualizing^US

visualising^UK

recognizing^US

recognising^UK

thinking it likely that

taking a shot at

postulating that

theorizing that

jumping to a conclusion

expressing an opinion

passing judgment

having a suspicion

taking it for granted

having a sneaking feeling

taking something as given

coming to the conclusion that

having as one's opinion

fantasizing^US

forming an impression of

stumbling on

contextualizing^US

taking something on board

fantasising^UK

having a sneaking suspicion of

conjuring up

propositioning

thinking it conceivable

compartmentalising^UK

compartmentalizing^US

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for to act out a character, typically as a performance

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What is another word for pretending?

Need synonyms for pretending? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

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