different between pretend vs pseudointellectual
pretend
English
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman pretendre, Middle French pretendre (French prétendre (“to claim, demand”)), from Latin praetendere, present active infinitive of praetend? (“put forward, hold out, pretend”), from prae- (“pre-”) + tend? (“stretch”); see tend.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /p???t?nd/
- Rhymes: -?nd
- Hyphenation: pre?tend
Verb
pretend (third-person singular simple present pretends, present participle pretending, simple past and past participle pretended)
- To claim, to allege, especially when falsely or as a form of deliberate deception. [from 14th c.]
- 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, XVIII.23:
- "After what past at Upton, so soon to engage in a new amour with another woman, while I fancied, and you pretended, your heart was bleeding for me!"
- 2009 April 13, “Vanity publishing”, in The Economist:
- I have nothing but contempt for people who hire ghost-writers. But at least most faux authors have the decency to pretend that they are sweating blood over "their" book.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, XVIII.23:
- To feign, affect (a state, quality, etc.). [from 15th c.]
- 2007 October 29, The Guardian, London:
- Gap and other clothes manufacturers should stop using small subcontractors because they are difficult to control. Instead, they should open up their own fully-owned production facilities so that they cannot pretend ignorance when abuses are committed.
- 2007 October 29, The Guardian, London:
- To lay claim to (an ability, status, advantage, etc.). [from 15th c.] (originally used without to)
- 1682, John Dryden, The Medal
- Chiefs shall be grudged the part which they pretend.
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.25:
- People observed the diversity of schools and the acerbity of their disputes, and decided that all alike were pretending to knowledge which was in fact unattainable.
- 1682, John Dryden, The Medal
- To make oneself appear to do or be doing something; to engage in make-believe.
- 2003 January 23, Duncan Campbell, The Guardian, London:
- Luster claimed that the women had consented to sex and were only pretending to be asleep.
- 2003 January 23, Duncan Campbell, The Guardian, London:
- (transitive, obsolete) To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden.
- (transitive, obsolete) To intend; to design, to plot; to attempt.
- (transitive, obsolete) To hold before one; to extend.
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.11:
- Pastorella […] Was by the Captaine all this while defended, / Who, minding more her safety then himselfe, / His target alwayes over her pretended […].
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, VI.11:
Usage notes
This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Related terms
- pretender
- pretense
- pretension
- pretentious
- pretentiousness
Translations
Further reading
- pretend in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- pretend in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Adjective
pretend (not comparable)
- Not really what it is represented as being; imaginary, feigned.
- As children we used to go on "spying" missions around the neighbour's house, but it was all pretend.
Translations
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pseudointellectual
English
Etymology
pseudo- (“false, fake”) +? intellectual
Noun
pseudointellectual (plural pseudointellectuals)
- A person who claims proficiency in scholarly or artistic activities while lacking in-depth knowledge or critical understanding.
- A person who pretends to be of greater intelligence than he or she in fact is.
Usage notes
Usage is fraught, and pseudointellectual may be used as a general term of abuse for intellectuals one dislikes or disagrees with. Nevertheless, in more careful use a rather clear distinction is drawn: a pseudointellectual is someone dishonestly or insincerely using the language, style, or topics of an intellectual, but who lacks the goals, morals, or ability of a “genuine” intellectual. It is someone who acts pretentiously and wishes to win an argument or impress, rather than modestly trying to find the truth – a focus on surface and rhetoric over content. These often involve a superficial understanding of a subject and condescension to the audience, as well as possible self-delusion (not being consciously dishonest, but rather sincerely thinking oneself to be behaving as a genuine intellectual despite one's incompetence).
Synonyms
- pseud
- pseudo
See also
- See also Thesaurus:deceiver
- charlatan
- fraud
- sophist
Adjective
pseudointellectual (comparative more pseudointellectual, superlative most pseudointellectual)
- Pretentiously or insincerely intellectual.
References
- Sydney J. Harris, circa 1981 November 20 (syndicated column), published as “Distinctions Between Intellectuals And Pseudo-Intellectuals” (mirror) in the Detroit Free Press, (11/20/81) and “Telling the real from the pseudo”, Sarasota Journal, Nov 23, 1981, among others
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