Something pretended looks real, or is offered as real, but is not. A pretended smile is worn for show. A pretended illness is put on so that someone will believe it. The word is mostly used in front of a noun: pretended interest, pretended surprise. It is the -ed form of pretend, doing the job of an adjective. In easy talk people often prefer fake, false, or put-on; pretended is a little more bookish, and it keeps the idea of someone acting a part rather than of a cheap copy. It does not, by itself, mean a person claiming a throne — that special job belongs to pretender.