pretendin'
Puttin' on airs
Pretendin' is a casual or dialectal spelling of pretending, representing the dropped final g common in informal speech.
It appears in dialogue, song lyrics, and vernacular writing to capture natural pronunciation: Quit pretendin' you don't care.
The spelling signals a relaxed or folksy register.
Simulating something false
- lyingStating known falsehoods
- deceivingCausing false belief
- frontingBeing at the forefront
- bluffingDeceiving about one's position
masking · hiding · concealing · misleading · fibbing · covering up · putting on · acting
Imaginative play or fantasy
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
- imaginingForming mental pictures
- role-playingActing out characters
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
playing house · cops and robbers · tea party · superheroes · pirates · princesses · cowboys · costumes
Contracting muscles voluntarily
- posingAssuming an attitude
- showing offOstentatious self-display
- faking itPerforming authenticity without possessing it
- social maskPerformed identity for others
impressing · image · status · fitting in · belonging · peer pressure · conforming · code-switching
Refusal to accept reality
- avoidingDeliberately staying clear
- escapingDeparting confinement hastily
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
- suppressingForcibly restraining or inhibiting
blocking out · ignoring · deflecting · burying · compartmentalizing · dissociating · shutting down · tuning out
faking
Simulating something false
bluffing · masking · hiding · concealing · misleading · fibbing · covering up · putting on · acting · fooling
make-believe
Imaginative play or fantasy
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
- imaginingForming mental pictures
- role-playingActing out characters
fantasy · playing house · cops and robbers · tea party · superheroes · pirates · princesses · cowboys · costumes · props
flexing
Contracting muscles voluntarily
- posingAssuming an attitude
- showing offOstentatious self-display
- faking itPerforming authenticity without possessing it
social mask · impressing · image · status · fitting in · belonging · peer pressure · conforming · code-switching · passing
denial
Refusal to accept reality
- avoidingDeliberately staying clear
- escapingDeparting confinement hastily
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
suppressing · blocking out · ignoring · deflecting · burying · compartmentalizing · dissociating · shutting down · tuning out · brave face