pretender

English

Etymology

pretend +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈtɛndəɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɛndə(ɹ)

Noun

pretender (plural pretenders)

1. One who pretends.
   1. (obsolete, rare) One who intends or purposes.
      • 1591, Percivall, Sp. Dict. :

        Pretensor, a pretender, he that purposeth.

      • 1598, Florio :

        Pretendente, a pretendent, a pretender, an intender, a meaner.

   2. One who puts forth a claim, or who aspires to or aims at something; a claimant, candidate, or aspirant; now, one who makes baseless pretensions.
      • 1622, Mabbe, Aleman’s Guzman d’Alf 1.214:

        By how straight a Rule…must that Pretender carry himselfe, who is to saile thorow the sea of this world, hoping for a fortune from another mans hand?

      • ante 1631 (1640), Donne, Serm. 32.315:

        The sinister supplantations of pretenders to places in Court.

      • 1646, H. Lawrence, Comm. Angells 116:

        Every one is a pretender and a runner; but few carry the prize.

      • 1766, Blackstone, Comm. 2.14.218:

        The issue of the eldest son excludes all other pretenders, as the son himself (if living) would have done.

      • 1780 May 25th, Johnson, Let. to Mrs. Thrale :

        A candidate for a school at Brewood in Staffordshire; to which, I think, there are seventeen pretenders.

      • 1845, Disraeli, Sybil 4.7:

        I would sooner gain five thousand pounds by restoring you to your rights, than fifty thousand in establishing any of these pretenders in their base assumptions.

      1. (obsolete) One who aspires to the hand of a woman in marriage; a suitor, a wooer.
         • 1612, Two Noble K. 5.1:

           He, of the two pretenders, that best loves me.

         • ante 1699, Lady Halkett, Autobiog. 17, (Camden):

           An Earles daughter,…whose mother not allowing him to come as a pretender shee made apointmentt with him and mett him att her cousin’s howse.

         • 1728 (1732), Eliza Heywood, Mme. de Gomez’s Belle A. 2.235:

           It is not my design to dispose of Irene to the most noble, but most wealthy of the Pretenders to her Love.

      2. A claimant to a throne or the office of a ruler; orig. in a neutral sense, but now always applied to a claimant who is held to have no just title.
         • 1697, Dryden, Virg. Georg. 4.93:

           If intestine Broils allarm the Hive, (For two Pretenders oft for Empire strive).

         • 1708 March 11th, Anne Regina, The Queen’s Speech to both Houses, in The History and Proceedings of the House of Commons, volume IV: 1706–1713, London: Chandler (1742), § iv: “First Parliament of Great Britain”, page 92:

           I Think it necessary to acquaint you, that I have received Advices this Morning from Ostend, that the French Fleet sailed from Dunkirk, Tuesday at three in the Morning, Northward, with the Pretender on board; as also, that Sir George Byng had notice of it the same Day at ten: And he being very much superior to the Enemy both in Number and Strength, I make no question, but, by God’s Blessing, he will soon be able to give a good Account of them.

         • ante 1715 (1734), Burnet, Own Time 2.503:

           She [Q. Anne] also fixed a new Designation on the Pretended Prince of Wales, and called him the Pretender; he was so called in a new Set of Addresses…upon this occasion…made to the Queen.

         • 1745, P. C. Webb, Remarks on the Pretender’s Son’s Second Declaration
         • 1824, Scott, Redgauntlet 16
         • 1827 (1876), Hallam, Const. Hist. 3.16.223:

           The pretender…had friends in the tory government more sincere probably and zealous than [the earl of] Oxford.

         • 1845, S. Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref. 3.633:

           Wullenweber…turned to the nearest protestant pretender, Duke Christian, and offered him his assistance to obtain the crown.

         • 1855, Macaulay, Hist. Eng. 14.3.442:

           Every province…had its own Augustus. All these pretenders could not be rightful Emperors.

   3. One who pretends or lays claim to something; one who makes a profession, show, or assertion, esp. without adequate grounds, falsely, or with intent to deceive; a dissembler, deceiver, charlatan, hypocrite.
      • 1631, Massinger, Emperor East 2.1:

        A pretender To the art, I truly honour…your majesty’s opinion.

      • 1631, Massinger, Believe as You List 2.2:

        This false pretender To the correction of the law.

      • 1651, Hobbes, Leviath. 2.18.89:

        So evident a lye, even in the pretenders own consciences.

      • 1738, Swift, Pol. Conversat. Introd..45:

        It is not so easy an Acquirement as a few ignorant Pretenders may imagine.

      • 1784, Cowper, Task 1.492:

        That honour has been long The boast of mere pretenders to the name.

      • 1848 (1850), Mrs. Jameson, Sacr. & Leg. Art 122:

        Simon, a Samaritan, a pretender to divine authority and supernatural powers.

      • 1871, Jowett, Plato 1.28:

        To distinguish the pretender in medicine from the true physician.

   4. A person who professes beliefs and opinions that they do not hold.

      Synonyms: dissembler, flip-flopper, hypocrite, phony; see also Thesaurus:deceiver

   5. A claimant to an abolished or already occupied throne.
      • 1844 January–December, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “My Pedigree and Family.—Undergo the Influence of the Tender Passion.”, in “The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. [The Luck of Barry Lyndon.]”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC, page 3:

        I presume that there is no gentleman in Europe that has not heard of the house of Barry of Barryogue, of the kingdom of Ireland, than which a more famous name is not to be found in Gwillim or D’Hozier; and though, as a man of the world, I have learned to despise heartily the claims of some pretenders to high birth who have no more genealogy than the lacquey who cleans my boots, […]

Derived terms

• Old Pretender
• Pretenderism
• pretendership
• Young Pretender

 

Translations

person who professes beliefs and opinions that they do not hold

• Bulgarian: лицеме́р (bg) m (licemér)
• Dutch: huichelaar (nl) m, veinzer (nl) m
• Finnish: teeskentelijä (fi)
• French: imposteur (fr) m, imposteuse (fr) f
• German: Betrüger (de) m, Betrügerin (de) f, Angeber (de) m, Angeberin (de) f, Heuchler (de) m, Heuchlerin (de) f
• Irish: gleacaí m, geáitseálaí m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: impostore (it) m, mistificatore (it), simulatore (it) m
• Latin: simulātor m
• Plautdietsch: Schienheilja m
• Russian: притво́рщик (ru) m (pritvórščik), притво́рщица (ru) f (pritvórščica), лицеме́р (ru) m (licemér), лицеме́рка (ru) f (licemérka)
• Spanish: impostor (es) m, mentiroso (es) m, embustero (es) m, hipócrita (es) m, falso (es) m, grupiento (es) m

claimant to a throne

• Belarusian: прэтэндэ́нт m (pretendént), прэтэндэ́нтка f (pretendéntka)
• Bulgarian: претенде́нт (bg) m (pretendént), претенде́нтка f (pretendéntka)
• Dutch: pretendent (nl) m
• Finnish: kruununtavoittelija (fi)
• French: prétendant (fr) m, prétendante (fr) f
• German: Anwärter (de) m, Anwärterin (de) f
• Hungarian: trónkövetelő
• Irish: éilitheoir m, oidhre m (likely successor)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: pretendente (it) m, aspirante (it) m, candidato (it) m
• Macedonian: претенде́нт m (pretendént), претенде́нтка f (pretendéntka)
• Polish: pretendent m
• Russian: претенде́нт (ru) m (pretendént), претенде́нтка (ru) f (pretendéntka)
• Spanish: pretendiente (es) m
• Ukrainian: претенде́нт (uk) m (pretendént), претенде́нтка (uk) f (pretendéntka)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} tronpretendent m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praetendere, present active infinitive of praetendō.

Verb

1. to pretend
2. first/third-person singular future subjunctive of pretender
3. first/third-person singular personal infinitive of pretender

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praetendere, present active infinitive of praetendō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾe.tẽ.ˈde(ʁ)/

Verb

1. to want
2. to pretend
3. to intend
4. to request
5. to aspire

Usage notes

• Pretender is a false friend, and does not mean pretend in the sense of to claim that or act as if something is different from what it actually is.

Related terms

• pretenso
• pretensão

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin praetendere, present active infinitive of praetendō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾetenˈdeɾ/ [pɾe.t̪ẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]

Verb

pretender (first-person singular present pretendo, first-person singular preterite pretendí, past participle pretendido)

1. to intend, to aim (for/to)

   Juan pretende tener su casa propia en tres años.

   Juan intends to have his own house in three years.

2. to woo, to court

   Juan pretende a Fernanda porque él siempre le lleva rosas y chocolates

   Juan is courting Fernanda, so he always gives her roses and chocolates.

3. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) to pretend (claim, allege)

Usage notes

• Pretender is a false friend, and does not mean pretend in the sense of to claim that or act as if something is different from what it actually is. The Spanish word for pretend in that sense is fingir.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of pretender (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			pretender
gerund			pretendiendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		pretendido		pretendida
		plural		pretendidos		pretendidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	pretendo	pretendestú pretendésvos	pretende	pretendemos	pretendéis	pretenden
	imperfect	pretendía	pretendías	pretendía	pretendíamos	pretendíais	pretendían
	preterite	pretendí	pretendiste	pretendió	pretendimos	pretendisteis	pretendieron
	future	pretenderé	pretenderás	pretenderá	pretenderemos	pretenderéis	pretenderán
	conditional	pretendería	pretenderías	pretendería	pretenderíamos	pretenderíais	pretenderían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	pretenda	pretendastú pretendásvos2	pretenda	pretendamos	pretendáis	pretendan
	imperfect (ra)	pretendiera	pretendieras	pretendiera	pretendiéramos	pretendierais	pretendieran
	imperfect (se)	pretendiese	pretendieses	pretendiese	pretendiésemos	pretendieseis	pretendiesen
	future1	pretendiere	pretendieres	pretendiere	pretendiéremos	pretendiereis	pretendieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		pretendetú pretendévos	pretenda	pretendamos	pretended	pretendan
	negative		no pretendas	no pretenda	no pretendamos	no pretendáis	no pretendan

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of pretender

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive pretender
	dative	pretenderme	pretenderte	pretenderle, pretenderse	pretendernos	pretenderos	pretenderles, pretenderse
	accusative	pretenderme	pretenderte	pretenderlo, pretenderla, pretenderse	pretendernos	pretenderos	pretenderlos, pretenderlas, pretenderse
with gerund pretendiendo
	dative	pretendiéndome	pretendiéndote	pretendiéndole, pretendiéndose	pretendiéndonos	pretendiéndoos	pretendiéndoles, pretendiéndose
	accusative	pretendiéndome	pretendiéndote	pretendiéndolo, pretendiéndola, pretendiéndose	pretendiéndonos	pretendiéndoos	pretendiéndolos, pretendiéndolas, pretendiéndose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative pretende
	dative	preténdeme	preténdete	preténdele	preténdenos	not used	preténdeles
	accusative	preténdeme	preténdete	preténdelo, preténdela	preténdenos	not used	preténdelos, preténdelas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative pretendé
	dative	pretendeme	pretendete	pretendele	pretendenos	not used	pretendeles
	accusative	pretendeme	pretendete	pretendelo, pretendela	pretendenos	not used	pretendelos, pretendelas
with formal second-person singular imperative pretenda
	dative	preténdame	not used	preténdale, preténdase	preténdanos	not used	preténdales
	accusative	preténdame	not used	preténdalo, preténdala, preténdase	preténdanos	not used	preténdalos, preténdalas
with first-person plural imperative pretendamos
	dative	not used	pretendámoste	pretendámosle	pretendámonos	pretendámoos	pretendámosles
	accusative	not used	pretendámoste	pretendámoslo, pretendámosla	pretendámonos	pretendámoos	pretendámoslos, pretendámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative pretended
	dative	pretendedme	not used	pretendedle	pretendednos	pretendeos	pretendedles
	accusative	pretendedme	not used	pretendedlo, pretendedla	pretendednos	pretendeos	pretendedlos, pretendedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative pretendan
	dative	preténdanme	not used	preténdanle	preténdannos	not used	preténdanles, preténdanse
	accusative	preténdanme	not used	preténdanlo, preténdanla	preténdannos	not used	preténdanlos, preténdanlas, preténdanse

Related terms

• pretendiente
• pretencioso
• pretenso
• pretensión

Further reading

• “pretender”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014