Pretentious
Pretentious adjective - Self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance.
Silly and pretentious are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Silly" instead an adjective "Pretentious".
Nearby Words: pretentiousness, pretentiously
Silly
Silly adjective - Lacking in seriousness or maturity.
Pretentious and silly are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Pretentious" instead an adjective "Silly".
Nearby Word: silliness
Both words in one sentence
- At the start of the fourth series Coren said that viewers had complained that the use of Greek letters was snobbish, pretentious and silly.
Source: Series / Only Connect -
Then again, Lister also thinks the silly white hat he wears is a sign he's a pretentious douchebag, rather than a sign he's a chef.
Source: Good Smoking, Evil Smoking -
Her younger sisters, by contrast, are uniformly "silly": pretentious, grumpy Mary; giggly, easily-led Kitty; and uncontrollable, foolish Lydia.The story follows the Bennets and their attempts to marry for love, despite being in a position from which this was severely impractical.
Source: Literature / Pride and Prejudice
Cite this Source
Silly and Pretentious. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretentious/silly
Pretentious & Silly. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretentious/silly>.
Silly or Pretentious. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretentious/silly.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pretentious" and "silly" have occurred on timeline