different between pretentious vs panjandrum

English

Alternative forms

• prætentious (rare, pedantic or (esp. self-referentially) humorous)

Etymology

From French prétentieux, from prétention, from Latin praet?nsus (“false or hypocritical profession”), past participle of praetend?.

Note that pretentious is spelled with a ‘t’, unlike related pretense, pretension. This is due to the French spelling: *-sious does not occur as an English suffix, though -sion and -tion both do.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p???t?n??s/

Adjective

pretentious (comparative more pretentious, superlative most pretentious)

1. Intended to impress others; ostentatious.

   Her dress was obviously more pretentious than comfortable.

2. Marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction.

   Their song titles are pretentious in the context of their basic lyrics.

Synonyms

• poseur
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant

Antonyms

• unpretentious

Derived terms

• pretentiously
• pretentiousness

Related terms

• pretend
• pretender
• pretense
• pretension

Translations

References

• pretentious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• pretentious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• pretentious at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• postuterine

English

Alternative forms

• Panjandrum

Etymology

Coined as a nonce word in the 18th century by Samuel Foote.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /pæn?d??æn.d??m/

Noun

panjandrum (plural panjandrums or panjandra)

1. An important, powerful or influential person.
   • 1755, Samuel Foote, The Grand Panjandrum (a nonsense poem written to test actor Charles Macklin's claim that he could accurately recite any paragraph of text after a single reading),

     So he died, / and she very imprudently married the Barber: / and there were present / the Picninnies, / and the Joblillies, / and the Garyulies, / and the great Panjandrum himself, / with the little round button at top;

   • 1910, Eliakim Littell, Making of America Project, Robert S. Littell, Living age ... (Littell's Living Age), Volume 265, page 809,

     I think it's an excellent thing that the Great Panjandrum is coming for the week-end. Have you ever met him in private?"

     I ought to explain that the Great Panjandrum was the nickname for Lord Elkindale, the then Foreign Secretary.

   • 1917, George Bernard Shaw, Annajanska, the Bolshevik Empress,

     But my family has served the Panjandrums of Beotia faithfully for seven centuries. The Panjandrums have kept our place for us at their courts, honored us, promoted us, shed their glory on us, made us what we are.

   • 1976, Kurt Vonnegut, Slapstick, Delacorte Press, Chapter 49, p. 228,

     The territory I had sold him was largely occupied by the Duke of Oklahoma, and, no doubt, by other potentates and panjandrums unknown to me.

2. A self-important or pretentious person.
   • 1910, George Bernard Shaw, Misalliance,

     You can never imagine how delighted I was to find that instead of being the correct sort of big panjandrum you were supposed to be, you were really an old rip like papa.

3. (military) A massive, rocket-propelled, explosive-laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
   • 1967, John Winton, The War At Sea, 1939-1945: An Anthology of Personal Experience, page 304,

     The Panjandrum lurched and overturned, the crash dislodging several of the rockets, which flew low over the beach in all directions […] .

Translations

Further reading

• panjandrum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia