PRETENTIOUSNESS

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does pretentiousness mean? 

• PRETENTIOUSNESS (noun)
  The noun PRETENTIOUSNESS has 2 senses:

1. lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity

2. the quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false appearance of great importance or worth)

  Familiarity information: PRETENTIOUSNESS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PRETENTIOUSNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

inflation; ostentation; ostentatiousness; pomposity; pompousness; pretentiousness; puffiness; splashiness

Hypernyms ("pretentiousness" is a kind of...):

inelegance (the quality of lacking refinement and good taste)

Derivation:

pretentious (intended to attract notice and impress others)

pretentious ((of a display) tawdry or vulgar)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false appearance of great importance or worth)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

largeness; pretension; pretentiousness

Hypernyms ("pretentiousness" is a kind of...):

unnaturalness (the quality of being unnatural or not based on natural principles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pretentiousness"):

ostentation (pretentious or showy or vulgar display)

Antonym:

unpretentiousness (the quality of being natural and without pretensions)

Derivation:

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