pretentious
UK[prɪˈtenʃəs]US[prɪˈtenʃəs]
adj
attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.
adj
making an excessive outward show; ostentatious.
Morpheme Breakdown
preten
tious
preten
to stretch forth, claim
tious
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
the word pretentious is built upon the core notion of "stretching forth," derived from the latin praetendere, a compound of prae- (before, forth) and tendere (to stretch). this literal action evolved metaphorically into putting forward a claim or an appearance. the suffix -tious attaches to this root, forming an adjective that characterizes someone or something as making such a forward claim. thus, the modern meaning logically flows from the ancient idea of physically or figuratively stretching oneself beyond one's true measure to create an impression.
Analysis
Structure: preten (to stretch forth, claim) + tious (adjective-forming suffix)
preten originates from the latin verb praetendere (to stretch forth, allege, pretend). tious is an english adjective-forming suffix derived from latin -tiosus, indicating a characteristic or quality.
Examples
she found the art critic's language to be unnecessarily complex and pretentious.
he lived in a large, pretentious mansion that was mostly empty.
the restaurant served tiny portions on huge plates, which felt rather pretentious.