What does “pretentious” mean?

pretentious


Oh, this is a good one —

Someone who is pretentious acts like they are more important, smarter, or more special than they really are. They try too hard to impress people.

Like, imagine a guy at a party who says, "I only drink single-origin, hand-poured beverages" instead of just saying "I like good drinks." That's pretentious. Or a friend who only talks about very obscure films and looks down on anyone who enjoys popular movies — super pretentious.

You can also say it about things, not just people. Like, "That restaurant is so pretentious — the menu has tiny food and huge prices just to look fancy."

It's basically when someone (or something) is trying way too hard to seem sophisticated or special, and it feels fake or annoying.

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