Pretender

/pɹɪˈtɛndəɹ/ · noun

Meaning

(obsolete, rare) One who intends or purposes..

Definitions by Sense

1. (obsolete, rare) One who intends or purposes.
2. One who puts forth a claim, or who aspires to or aims at something; a claimant, candidate, or aspirant; now, one who makes baseless pretensions.
3. One who pretends or lays claim to something; one who makes a profession, show, or assertion, especially without adequate grounds, falsely, or with intent to deceive; a dissembler, deceiver, charlatan, hypocrite.
4. A person who professes beliefs and opinions that they do not hold.
5. (uncommon) To tender (a bid, etc.) in advance.

Example Sentences

Pretensor, a pretender, he that purposeth.

Pretendente, a pretendent, a pretender, an intender, a meaner.

By how straight a Rule […] must that Pretender carry himselfe, who is to saile thorow the sea of this world, hoping for a fortune from another mans hand?

[…]; to consider the direct purposes of God against his enemies, rather than the sinister supplantations of pretenders to places in court; […]

Every one is a pretender and a runner; but few carry the prize.

The issue of the eldest son excludes all other pretenders, as the son himself (if living) would have done.

A candidate for a school at Brewood in Staffordshire; to which, I think, there are seventeen pretenders.

I would sooner gain five thousand pounds by restoring you to your rights, than fifty thousand in establishing any of these pretenders in their base assumptions.

Synonyms for pretender

Antonyms for pretender

Related Words

Word Forms

• pretenders
• pretendering
• pretendered

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions