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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

Stage acting

An overt and pretentious display intended to attract attention

Adjective

Ostensibly employed, but wasting time

Supposed but not necessarily real or true

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 tell a lie or something that is untrue

Present participle for appear to be or do something, especially falsely

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

Present participle for to make jokes, especially for purposes of teasing someone

Present participle for to quibble over trivial matters

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

pretence^UK

pretense^US

chimera^US

chimaera^UK

color^US

colour^UK

creation of the brain

figment of imagination

phoney^UK

phony^US

maneuver^US

manoeuvre^UK

figment of the imagination

spectre^UK

specter^US

flight of imagination

unreasonable expectation

foolish expectation

irrational expectation

unrealistic expectation

wrong end of the stick

apprehension

transient phenomenon

short-lived phenomenon

fantasizing^US

out-of-body experience

fantasising^UK

lack of concentration

product of someone's imagination

more ❯

Noun

Stage acting

dramatising^UK

dramatizing^US

pretence^UK

pretense^US

theatre^UK

theater^US

theatricals

the stage

Noun

▲

An overt and pretentious display intended to attract attention

splendour^UK

splendor^US

pizzazz^US

pzazz^UK

glamour^UK

glamor^US

vigor^US

vigour^UK

luster^US

lustre^UK

pomp and circumstance

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Ostensibly employed, but wasting time

Adjective

Supposed but not necessarily real or true

rumoured^UK

idealized^US

rumored^US

idealised^UK

recognized^US

recognised^UK

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Likely, capable of, or designed to, deceive

phoney^UK

phony^US

sceptical^UK

skeptical^US

off-colour^UK

off-color^US

not to be depended on

caviling^US

cavilling^UK

economical with the truth

terminologically inexact

not entirely truthful

like a snake in the grass

bearing false witness

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

acting like

prevaricating

forging

going through the motions of

creating out of thin air

doing an impression of

putting up a front of

presenting a false front

presenting a false face

laying it on thick

putting on a pretense

hamming

playing to the gallery

favouring^UK

favoring^US

giving a false identity to

assuming the character of

disguising oneself as

representing oneself as

putting on a false display

travestying

monkeying

covering up

putting up a smoke screen

following in footsteps

minimizing^US

minimising^UK

sweeping under the rug

soft-pedalling

soft-pedaling

de-emphasizing

sweeping under the carpet

keeping a lid on

eclipsing

shielding

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

supposing

thinking

forming a picture of

forming a mental picture of

realizing^US

realising^UK

conjuring up an image of

forming an impression of

building up a picture of

reconstructing

gauging^UK

evoking

believing

conjuring up a picture of

conjuring up a mental picture of

creating in your mind

gaging^US

idealizing^US

taking as a hypothesis

preconceiving

hypothesising^UK

saying

thinking it conceivable

thinking likely

having an idea

thinking it likely

idealising^UK

having hallucinations

aiming for

conjuring up pictures

setting one's heart on

setting your sights on

having delirium tremens

having visions

blowing your mind

having a trip

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

verbalizing^US

publicizing^US

publicising^UK

verbalising^UK

vocalizing^US

recognizing^US

recognising^UK

vocalising^UK

summarising^UK

summarizing^US

shooting off one's mouth

signaling^US

signalling^UK

getting off your chest

bringing into the open

shouting from the rooftops

giving utterance

going into

more ❯

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

Verb

▲

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

shoveling^US

shovelling^UK

departing from the truth

inventing a story

making up a story

forswearing oneself

not telling the truth

telling a terminological inexactitude

telling a fib

creating fiction

speaking with forked tongue

telling a little white lie

pulling the wool over someone's eyes

pulling someone's leg

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

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for appear to be or do something, especially falsely

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

drawing the inference

gauging^UK

gaging^US

realizing^US

realising^UK

analyzing^US

analysing^UK

visualizing^US

visualising^UK

projecting

prophesying

jumping to conclusions

envisaging

picturing

taking it for granted

recognizing^US

recognising^UK

building castles in air

reading between lines

catching on to

cottoning on to

seeing something coming

taking something read

taking something as given

having a sneaking feeling

expressing an opinion

drawing conclusions

thinking probable

passing judgment

thinking it likely that

having as one's opinion

putting two and two together

presaging

preconceiving

reading between the lines

entertaining the idea

betting one's bottom dollar

subscribing to the opinion

taking something on board

running it up flagpole

seeing handwriting on wall

forming an opinion of

making a guess at

making an estimate of

having a sneaking suspicion of

jumping to a conclusion

jumping to conclusions about

making a hasty assessment about

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for to make jokes, especially for purposes of teasing someone

mucking someone about

satirizing^US

taking the piss out of

satirising^UK

making a monkey out of

treating with contempt

baiting

guying

pulling someone's leg

holding up to ridicule

treating contemptuously

pulling someone's chain

playing a practical joke on

holding up to shame

getting a rise out of

taking a rise out of

pouring scorn on

joking with

playing a practical joke

gambolling^UK

gamboling^US

leading up the garden path

having a joke with

having a joke on somebody

making a laughing-stock

making someone a laughing stock

laughing out of court

bedeviling^US

bedevilling^UK

more ❯

Verb

▲

Present participle for to quibble over trivial matters

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.

Related Words and Phrases

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