Pretender (Noun)
Meaning 1
A person who makes deceitful pretenses.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
A person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 3
A claimant to the throne or to the office of ruler (usually without just title).
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The army leaders struggled to decide whether the new pretender to the throne was a legitimate claimant to the monarchy or just a power-hungry opportunist.
- In the midst of the war, a rival general emerged as a pretender to the emperor's throne, vowing to restore the empire to its former glory.
- The pretender's claim to the throne was met with skepticism by the ruling council, who saw him as a mere upstart with no royal blood.
- After the king's sudden death, several pretenders emerged, each claiming to be the rightful heir to the throne.
- Historians believe that the famous imposter was actually a pretender to a minor throne in a distant land, rather than the great monarch he claimed to be.