pretended
Put on falsely
Pretended describes something feigned or falsely claimed rather than genuine.
A pretended friendship masks true indifference or hostility.
A pretended illness gets you out of work.
The word carries skepticism—calling something pretended is calling it fake: his pretended concern for the poor, her pretended ignorance of the scheme.
Falsely displayed or simulated
- simulatedMade to imitate reality
- fakedFalsely produced or simulated
- shamFraudulent imitation
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
put-on · affected · assumed · false · insincere · disingenuous · contrived · artificial
Falsely displayed or simulated
- fakedFalsely produced or simulated
- falseNot matching reality
- shamFraudulent imitation
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
deceitful · duplicitous · dissembled · misleading · deceptive · cunning · guileful · two-faced
Played a part
- performedDid as required
- playactedPretended dramatically
- dramatizedRendered for stage
- stagedArranged for effect
rehearsed · scripted · impersonated · mimicked · pantomimed · role-played · characterized · portrayed
Imaginative play or fantasy
- imaginaryExisting only in thought
- play-actingInsincere dramatic behavior
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
role-playing · imaginary friend · tea party · superhero · princess · cowboys · pirates · daydream
feigned
Falsely displayed or simulated
make-believe · put-on · affected · assumed · false · insincere · disingenuous · contrived · artificial · phony
feigned
Falsely displayed or simulated
fraudulent · deceitful · duplicitous · dissembled · misleading · deceptive · cunning · guileful · two-faced · underhanded
acted
Played a part
- performedDid as required
- playactedPretended dramatically
- dramatizedRendered for stage
staged · rehearsed · scripted · impersonated · mimicked · pantomimed · role-played · characterized · portrayed · simulated
make-believe
Imaginative play or fantasy
- imaginaryExisting only in thought
- play-actingInsincere dramatic behavior
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
fantasy · role-playing · imaginary friend · tea party · superhero · princess · cowboys · pirates · daydream · storytime
affected
Artificially contrived behavior
- put-onDeliberate deception or pretense
- assumedTaken as true
- superficialLacking depth or substance
outward · apparent · surface · veneer · guise · front · show · posturing · affectation · ostensible
- actedportrayed, performed, mimicked, impersonated, dramatized
pretendednatural
Not artificially produced
spontaneous · unaffected · instinctive · uncontrived · unstudied
- let's pretend
- pretend not to see
- pretend playImaginative childhood roleplay
- The PretenderFalse claimant to throne