despite pretending

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "despite pretending" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something is true or happening even though someone is pretending otherwise. Example: "She smiled brightly, despite pretending to be happy inside."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

She goes out of her way to prove she's the prettiest and, despite pretending to be nice to most people, she's bitchy towards her closest friends.

The Guardian

Even I, despite pretending to be the voice of unity and reason, prefer not to see or talk to my best friend, because they are an avid supporter of the opposite side.

Independent

For starters, despite pretending to be nonpartisan, the events were promoted and dominated mostly by Republicans and conservative ideologues; can you name one prominent Democrat who participated?

Forbes

Despite pretending to hate it when I was a kid, I never told my dad how him reading me the newspaper out loud every morning before school sparked my obsessions with writing, sports and journalism.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Here's how it is: If someone tells you they're a DJ, there's a better chance that they are an actual rock than a rock star (despite unconvincingly pretending to be one on Instagram).

Huffington Post

Two days later, despite my pretending that nothing was happening, I brought my mother with me back to the radiologist's office, where a slim needle was inserted into the thickenings in my breast -- the one I could feel and the one that I refused to feel.

Huffington Post

Her brothers were trying to drag her out the door, but this little girl absolutely refused to leave despite her brother pretending to leave without her.

Huffington Post

Some sleuths remained convinced he was pretending, despite Hunt-Vasquez's insistence that she had tried to trick him into speaking English, and he "has not slipped up once".

Vice

Bennett Miller will face no qualms getting a directing job despite the various "we're pretending our protagonists are secretly gay for drama" fabrications in Sony& 039 s Foxcatcher.

Forbes

Where Kat leads, Alfie follows: he bumbled in pretending to be OK, despite being on the run from the doctors who want to examine his brain.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

They treat me like I'm pretending to be Santa Claus, despite the fact that I am Jewish as well as serious as chicken soup about this question.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "despite pretending" to highlight a contrast between outward behavior and underlying reality. It effectively conveys that an action or feeling persists even when someone is attempting to conceal it.

Common error

Avoid using "despite pretending" when you simply want to state that someone is pretending. "Despite" introduces a contrasting element; without it, the sentence may lack clarity and purpose.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "despite pretending" functions as a prepositional phrase, modifying a clause by introducing a contrasting circumstance to the act of pretending. Ludwig AI confirms the grammatical correctness and usability of this phrase.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "despite pretending" is a grammatically sound phrase used to introduce a contrasting circumstance to the act of pretending. Ludwig AI validates its correctness. While relatively uncommon, it appears mostly in news and media contexts. Use this phrase to highlight the divergence between outward appearances and underlying realities, and consider alternatives like "in spite of feigning" for stylistic variation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in spite of feigning

Replaces "pretending" with "feigning", emphasizing the act of faking a feeling or condition.

even though feigning

Similar to "in spite of feigning", but uses "even though" for a slightly different syntactic structure.

regardless of acting like

Uses "acting like" to explicitly state the act of pretending, offering a slightly more descriptive alternative.

notwithstanding the pretense of

Employs a more formal tone, replacing "pretending" with "pretense", indicating a facade or false display.

despite a facade of

Focuses on the "facade" as the act of pretending, emphasizing a deceptive appearance.

notwithstanding the charade of

Replaces "pretending" with "charade", emphasizing the insincerity and artificiality of the act.

while simulating

Replaces "pretending" with "simulating", highlighting the act of creating a false appearance.

even with the guise of

Uses "guise" to indicate a deceptive outward appearance, similar to "pretense".

in the face of seeming

Emphasizes the apparent or superficial nature of the pretense.

regardless of a show of

Highlights the performative aspect of pretending, referring to it as a "show".

FAQs

How can I use "despite pretending" in a sentence?

Use "despite pretending" to show a contrast between someone's outward actions and their true feelings or situation. For example, "She smiled, "despite pretending" to be unafraid."

What are some alternatives to "despite pretending"?

Alternatives include "in spite of feigning", "regardless of acting like", or "notwithstanding the pretense of".

Is "despite pretending" grammatically correct?

Yes, "despite pretending" is grammatically correct when used to introduce a contrasting situation to an action.

What's the difference between "despite pretending" and simply saying "pretending"?

"Despite pretending" implies that something else is happening or true in addition to the act of pretending. It introduces a contrasting element that wouldn't be present if you just said "pretending".