Pretentious and Simple

Pretentious

Pretentious adjective - Self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance.

Simple is an antonym for pretentious in topics: affected, snobbish.

Simple

Simple adjective - Free from any intent to deceive or impress others.
Usage example: growing up in simple innocence

Pretentious is an antonym for simple.

Both words in one sentence

  • Folk - Often confused with country (although there are some overlaps), this is basically the genre of simple music from various instruments played by people without pretentious regard to musical structure.
    Source: Genre Motif
  • Inaction Video The only problem is you think that a simple Performance Video just won't cut it, you haven't got a budget for the Great Balls of Fire, you find the Surreal Music Video idea pretentious and the Animated Music Video stupid.
Cite this Source
Simple and Pretentious. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 07, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretentious/simple
Pretentious & Simple. N.p., 2016. Web. 07 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretentious/simple>.
Simple or Pretentious. 2016. Accessed August 07, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretentious/simple.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pretentious" and "simple" have occurred on timeline