as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender
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Recent Examples of pretender
Not until the 2011-12 broadcast season, or Year 6 of SNF, did NBC’s NFL juggernaut tamp the dirt down over the last pretender.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Discernment in separating potential winners from the pretenders is a positive, if sometimes manic and messy, process.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
As the difference between contenders and pretenders becomes clearer each week, the Seahawks took a significant step Sunday toward cementing themselves as a team to be reckoned with down the line.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
The King of Poland and the pretender to the throne of Sweden.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
Noun
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The president and his allies accused Cook of mortgage fraud.—
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At the same briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt came out swinging at Minnesota Democrats in defense of the ICE agent while touting the Medicaid fraud investigation, which dates back to the Biden administration.—
Noun
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Today, the same fakes can be flagged using AI developed by a company called N2N Services, said Claudia Lee, Golden West College’s vice president of student services.—
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With the score 3-0 at the time, and both teams struggling to protect their quarterbacks, the fake looked like a potential pivot point in a low-scoring game.—
Noun
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Floral bedding is an easy way to optimize maximalism in your bedroom—the block print style of this duvet cover and shams create a welcoming, bohemian vibe, making things feel both bright and relaxed in your space.—
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His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating.—
Noun
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In such places – and especially when the would-be ally’s role is highly visible and entails heavy responsibility – people are vulnerable to impostor feelings.—
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Now, artificial intelligence has become the latest battleground for digital impostors.—
Noun
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Islamic eschatology warned of a deceiver who distorts perception, blurring reality.—
Noun
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First up was Ben Shapiro, who described Tucker Carlson and others as grifters and charlatans, guilty of misleading their audiences with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.—
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Of course, there is also plenty of Trump flattery along with paeans to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his cockamamie make-America-sick-again agenda, as one medical charlatan nods to another.—
Noun
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To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.—
Noun
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.—
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Godard might have come across as a species of poseur – a pretentious, quote-spouting mountebank – but his way of seeing was genuinely new.—
Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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