Pretentious Posted on January 3, 2021January 3, 2021 [ pri-ten-shuhs ] adjective attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed. Examples of pretentious in a sentence: Because the weight loss product seemed fake and pretentious to me, I decided to buy an alternative item. Although Elaine was behind on her monthly bills, she still acted pretentious by going on weekly shopping sprees. Related