英语词汇“pretentious”的英英意思、用法、释义、翻译、读音、例句、短语、词组-英语词典

adj

Use the adjective pretentious as a way to criticize people who try to act like they are more important or knowledgeable than they really are.

You might not be surprised to learn that pretentious is related to the word pretend, and it is an adjective that fits the bill for describing someone who's only concerned with making an impressive appearance. If you don't want to be accused of being pretentious, just act naturally and don't put on airs!

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS

pretentious / portentous

Fake mobsters in suits and spats are pretentious. But a horse head in your bed? That's portentous. And also, call the police.

A regular person who insists on using the royal "we" is pretentious. Find the word "pretend" in pretentious and you're onto something — both words come from the same Latin root. Pretending is fun, but anything pretentious is a bummer because it's fanciful and untrue. Examples:

"Eva's colleagues eventually turn on her and deem her uppity and pretentious; one day, someone in the office steals the diary." (The New Yorker)

"Well, the film was a bore, with far too many pretentious slow-motion surfing shots or close-ups of foam and bubbles." (Los Angeles Times)

Portentous is darker. The word comes from the Latin portentosus for "marvelous, threatening," oh, and also "monster." A funnel cloud, a horse head, or a letter from an ex, are all portentoussigns. It overlaps with pretentious because portentous also describes someone trying hard to seem important, like a human pufferfish. But it's usually a sign of things to come, like a portent, or omen. Observe:

"But above them all looms one legendary beast: the great white whale, Moby-Dick, freighted with portentous doom." (The Guardian)

"Some are table-centered domestic scenes: silent intimacies, fights over a portentous envelope." (The New Yorker)

If you get them mixed up, remember that pretentious has an "i" at the end, and portentous has an "o" for "omen."

WORD FAMILY

pretentious: pretentiously, pretentiousness, unpretentious+/pretense: pretenses, pretension, pretentious/pretension: pretensions/unpretentious: unpretentiously, unpretentiousness

USAGE EXAMPLES

Successful by their own measures, Karen and Matt live in a converted macaroni factory, spitting distance from several pretentious coffeehouses.

Washington Post(Jan 02, 2017)

Gold: My least favorite restaurants tend to be pretentious, expensive with unimaginative food.

Los Angeles Times(Dec 30, 2016)

Are what read as pretentious and condescending undertones absolutely required?

New York Times(Dec 24, 2016)

1adj making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction

a pretentious country house
a pretentious fraud
a pretentious scholarly edition

Syn|Ant

arty

showily imitative of art or artists

artsy-craftsy, arty-crafty

pretentiously artistic; cloyingly charming

grandiloquent, overblown, pompous, pontifical, portentous

puffed up with vanity

grandiose, hifalutin, highfalutin, highfaluting, hoity-toity, la-di-da

affectedly genteel

high-flown, high-sounding, inflated

pretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals)

jumped-up

(British informal) upstart

nouveau-riche, parvenu, parvenue, upstart

characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position

sententious

abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing

sesquipedalian

given to the overuse of long words

tasteless

lacking aesthetic or social taste

unpretentious

lacking pretension or affectation

plain

not elaborate or elaborated; simple

honest

without pretensions

modest

free from pomp or affectation

unpompous

not pompous

tasteful

having or showing or conforming to good taste

2adj intended to attract notice and impress others

Syn|Ant

ostentatious
flaunty

inclined to flaunt

flamboyant, showy, splashy

marked by ostentation but often tasteless

unostentatious, unpretending, unpretentious

not ostentatious

quiet, restrained

not showy or obtrusive

3adj (of a display) tawdry or vulgar

Syn

ostentatious
tasteless

lacking aesthetic or social taste

单词	pretentious
释义	pretentious (once / 1646 pages) adj Use the adjective pretentious as a way to criticize people who try to act like they are more important or knowledgeable than they really are. You might not be surprised to learn that pretentious is related to the word pretend, and it is an adjective that fits the bill for describing someone who's only concerned with making an impressive appearance. If you don't want to be accused of being pretentious, just act naturally and don't put on airs! CHOOSE YOUR WORDS pretentious / portentous Fake mobsters in suits and spats are pretentious. But a horse head in your bed? That's portentous. And also, call the police. A regular person who insists on using the royal "we" is pretentious. Find the word "pretend" in pretentious and you're onto something — both words come from the same Latin root. Pretending is fun, but anything pretentious is a bummer because it's fanciful and untrue. Examples: "Eva's colleagues eventually turn on her and deem her uppity and pretentious; one day, someone in the office steals the diary." (The New Yorker) "Well, the film was a bore, with far too many pretentious slow-motion surfing shots or close-ups of foam and bubbles." (Los Angeles Times) Portentous is darker. The word comes from the Latin portentosus for "marvelous, threatening," oh, and also "monster." A funnel cloud, a horse head, or a letter from an ex, are all portentoussigns. It overlaps with pretentious because portentous also describes someone trying hard to seem important, like a human pufferfish. But it's usually a sign of things to come, like a portent, or omen. Observe: "But above them all looms one legendary beast: the great white whale, Moby-Dick, freighted with portentous doom." (The Guardian) "Some are table-centered domestic scenes: silent intimacies, fights over a portentous envelope." (The New Yorker) If you get them mixed up, remember that pretentious has an "i" at the end, and portentous has an "o" for "omen." WORD FAMILY pretentious: pretentiously, pretentiousness, unpretentious+/pretense: pretenses, pretension, pretentious/pretension: pretensions/unpretentious: unpretentiously, unpretentiousness USAGE EXAMPLES Successful by their own measures, Karen and Matt live in a converted macaroni factory, spitting distance from several pretentious coffeehouses. Washington Post(Jan 02, 2017) Gold: My least favorite restaurants tend to be pretentious, expensive with unimaginative food. Los Angeles Times(Dec 30, 2016) Are what read as pretentious and condescending undertones absolutely required? New York Times(Dec 24, 2016) 1adj making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction a pretentious country house a pretentious fraud a pretentious scholarly edition Syn\|Ant arty showily imitative of art or artists artsy-craftsy, arty-crafty pretentiously artistic; cloyingly charming grandiloquent, overblown, pompous, pontifical, portentous puffed up with vanity grandiose, hifalutin, highfalutin, highfaluting, hoity-toity, la-di-da affectedly genteel high-flown, high-sounding, inflated pretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals) jumped-up (British informal) upstart nouveau-riche, parvenu, parvenue, upstart characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position sententious abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing sesquipedalian given to the overuse of long words tasteless lacking aesthetic or social taste unpretentious lacking pretension or affectation plain not elaborate or elaborated; simple honest without pretensions modest free from pomp or affectation unpompous not pompous tasteful having or showing or conforming to good taste 2adj intended to attract notice and impress others Syn\|Ant ostentatious flaunty inclined to flaunt flamboyant, showy, splashy marked by ostentation but often tasteless unostentatious, unpretending, unpretentious not ostentatious quiet, restrained not showy or obtrusive 3adj (of a display) tawdry or vulgar Syn ostentatious tasteless lacking aesthetic or social taste
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