Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun pretending

1 sense of pretending

Sense 1
pretense, pretence, pretending, simulation, feigning -- (the act of giving a false appearance; "his conformity was only pretending")
       => deception, deceit, dissembling, dissimulation -- (the act of deceiving)

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb pretend

6 senses of pretend

Sense 1
feign, sham, pretend, affect, dissemble -- (make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache")
       => misrepresent, belie -- (represent falsely; "This statement misrepresents my intentions")

Sense 2
dissemble, pretend, act -- (behave unnaturally or affectedly; "She's just acting")

Sense 3
pretend -- (put forward a claim and assert right or possession of; "pretend the title of King")
       => claim, lay claim, arrogate -- (demand as being one's due or property; assert one's right or title to; "He claimed his suitcases at the airline counter"; "Mr. Smith claims special tax exemptions because he is a foreign resident")

Sense 4
guess, venture, pretend, hazard -- (put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation; "I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again"; "I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong")
       => speculate -- (talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion; "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal")

Sense 5
make, pretend, make believe -- (represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like; "She makes like an actress")
       => act, play, represent -- (play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master")

Sense 6
profess, pretend -- (state insincerely; "He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt"; "She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber"; "She pretends to be an expert on wine")
       => claim -- (assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing; "He claimed that he killed the burglar")