EN

Synonyms for pseudo

  • noun
  • adjective

Most common

fake sham faker pretender pseudo-intellectual

All synonyms

Noun

1. Fake

fake, sham, faker, pretender, imposter, fraud, role player, pseud, shammer, phony informal US, phoney UK

Other

pseudo-intellectual

Adjective

bogus, false, illegitimate, counterfeit, spurious, fictitious, feigned, mock, bastard, unauthentic

Antonyms

legitimate, undissembled

All antonyms of pseudo →

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    An intellectually pretentious person; a pseudointellectual.

  2. adj. 1

    Other than what is apparent; spurious; sham.

Related words

Phrases
pseudo force

Forms

Plural
pseudos → fakes, shams, fakers, pretenders…

Example sentences

  • fake Many consumer reviews of books on Amazon are fake.
  • sham This sham election is a disgrace to democracy.
  • faker That expression is faker than a coin with my face on it.
  • pretender They knew how to unmask the prince pretender.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
pseudosteady
fakerising
shamsteady
fakerrising
pretendersteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
fake1, mock1, sham1
5 letters
false1, fraud1, phony2, bogus2, faker2, pseud
6 letters
phoney2
7 letters
bastard2, feigned1, shammer
8 letters
spurious3, imposter3
9 letters
pretender3
10 letters
fictitious3
11 letters
counterfeit3, unauthentic4
12 letters
illegitimate5

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (phony2 = 2 syllables).