pretentiousness
pretentiousness — 名詞
1. behaviour that shows someone is trying to seem more intelligent, cultured, or im
做作；虛飾
裝出比實際更重要或更聰明的樣子
behaviour that shows someone is trying to seem more intelligent, cultured, or important than they actually are — for example, using unnecessarily difficult words in conversation or showing off expensive belongings to win admiration
Hana rolled her eyes at the pretentiousness of the art critic, who used words that nobody in the room knew.
Hana 翻了個白眼，受不了那位藝評家的做作，他用了一堆在場沒有人聽得懂的詞。
pretentiousness of + [person / profession]
The film was full of long, meaningless shots with no story — the audience walked out calling it pure pretentiousness.
那部電影充滿漫長無意義的鏡頭，完全沒有故事——觀眾離場時都說這根本是虛飾。
Adina noticed a growing pretentiousness in her friend's speech after he started attending poetry readings.
Adina 發現她朋友開始參加詩歌朗誦會之後，講話也變得越來越做作。
There is no pretentiousness in Nikhil's writing; he says exactly what he means in plain language.
Nikhil 的作品完全沒有做作感；他用直白的語言，想到什麼就說什麼。
The restaurant's menu listed every ingredient in French, and the waiter spoke with a fake accent — pure pretentiousness.
那家餐廳的菜單用滿滿的法文列出每種食材，服務生還裝出法國口音——簡直是做作到極點。
- affectation
suggests a deliberate, unnatural way of behaving or speaking adopted to create an impression, often more about style than intelligence
- pompousness
focuses on a self-important, solemn manner rather than on trying to seem culturally sophisticated
- showiness
emphasises flashy, eye-catching display rather than intellectual or cultural pretence; more about appearance than attitude
文法句型
pretentiousness of [something]
sheer pretentiousness
用法筆記
Typically used as an uncountable noun describing a negative quality. Frequently appears in the pattern 'pretentiousness of + [something/someone]' or with an intensifier such as 'sheer' or 'pure'.
常見錯誤
pretentiousness — 形容詞
- pretentiousnesspositive
- more pretentiousnesscomparative
- most pretentiousnesssuperlative
1. behaving or speaking as if you are more important, skilled, or intelligent than
自大；自負
過分看重自己的才能或地位的
behaving or speaking as if you are more important, skilled, or intelligent than you really are, in a way that annoys other people
The professor's pretentious remarks made the students feel he was showing off instead of teaching.
那位教授自大的言論讓學生覺得他只是在炫耀，而不是在教學。
pretentious remarks / showing off
Emre found his date's pretentious comments about wine both boring and dishonest.
Emre 覺得約會對象對葡萄酒那些自負的評論既無聊又不真誠。
pretentious comments about [topic]
Sven gave a pretentious speech full of words he had clearly looked up the night before.
Sven 發表了一篇自大的演講，裡面塞滿了他前一天晚上才查好的詞彙。
"I am not being pretentious," Amira said. "I just prefer books that actually make me think."
「我才不是在裝模作樣，」Amira 說，「我只是比較喜歡能讓我思考的書而已。」
Nobody liked the new manager because of his pretentious attitude and constant name-dropping.
因為那位新經理自負的態度和動不動就提名人名號的習慣，所以沒有人喜歡他。
- conceited
focuses on a high opinion of oneself rather than on trying to impress others; more about inner belief than outward performance
- pompous
describes a solemn, self-important manner that is more about formal dignity than about cultural or intellectual showing-off
- vain
centres on excessive pride in one's own appearance or achievements; less about trying to sound intelligent than about admiring oneself
- humble
having a modest opinion of one's own importance; the direct opposite of a self-important attitude
- unassuming
not putting on airs or trying to attract attention; quietly confident without show
文法句型
pretentious + noun (person / remark / speech / attitude)
用法筆記
Describes a person's character or behaviour directly. Often used with nouns like 'remark', 'speech', 'attitude', 'person'. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes objects or designs rather than a person's self-importance.
常見錯誤
2. deliberately designed or decorated to look grand, expensive, or impressive in a
浮誇；矯飾
刻意誇大外表或價值以掩蓋真實品質的
deliberately designed or decorated to look grand, expensive, or impressive in a way that does not match the real quality or value of something
The hotel lobby was pretentious — all gold statues and red velvet that looked cheap up close.
那間旅館的大廳很浮誇——滿滿的金色雕像和紅色天鵝絨，近看卻顯得廉價。
pretentious — [specific showy details]
Camille hated the pretentious packaging of the perfume: a box the size of a shoebox for a tiny bottle.
Camille 很討厭那瓶香水的矯飾包裝：一個鞋盒大小的盒子裡只裝了一小瓶。
pretentious packaging
The building's pretentious design tried to copy a French palace but failed because of the poor materials.
那棟建築浮誇的設計試圖模仿法國宮殿，卻因為用料粗糙而失敗了。
Hoa thought the wedding was too pretentious, with three kinds of flowers and a ten-piece orchestra.
Hoa 覺得那場婚禮太過浮誇，用了三種不同的花，還請了十人樂團。
The menu described each dish in three languages, but the food was just ordinary — pure pretentious style.
菜單上用三種語言描述每道菜，但食物本身很普通——純粹是矯飾的風格。
- ostentatious
more formal; describes a showy display meant to attract attention and impress, often through visible wealth
- gaudy
implies tasteless, overly bright or ornamented display; stronger negative judgement than pretentious
- flashy
informal; suggests bright, showy, and attention-grabbing, but not necessarily with the goal of seeming cultured or intellectual
- modest
simple and unpretentious in style; not trying to attract attention through appearance
- understated
elegantly simple and not drawing attention to itself; the opposite of overblown decoration
文法句型
pretentious + noun (design / decoration / packaging / style)
用法筆記
Used for objects, places, events, or designs — not for people. The thing itself is trying to appear more impressive than it really is. Distinguish from sense 1, which applies to a person's behaviour or attitude.