Words are really just a sequence of noises to which humanity has assigned meaning. Some of these constructed meanings hold different levels of significance to different people. People will try to latch on to whatever meaning they can find because it is reassuring to have something, even as seemingly insignificant as a single word, with which they can find a personal connection. One word that has personal significance to me is “pretentiousness”. “Pretentiousness” is a noun, originating from the French “prétention”. Its first form in the English language appeared in the mid 19th century as “pretension”. “Pretentiousness” holds significance to me because it is ingrained in the way I probably present myself and in almost everything that holds my interest .
Pretentiousness, by literal definition, means “an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). In the real world, however, people tend to interpret it differently. Pretentiousness often has a negative connotation because people do not like to sense ingenuity or a superiority complex …show more content…
Some of the aforementioned “pretentious” hobbies are not necessarily pretentious. Most people do not do things with the sole purpose of demonstrating their intellectual superiority. If an activity is done with the motivation of pure enjoyment, then there is no pretension involved. Even if a hobby is done with the purpose of feeling superior, it does not indubitably mean that the person performing the hobby is a bad person. Wanting to feel superior and being superior are two different things. Omitting the career path and the workplace definition of “superior”, superiority is subjective. There is no real harm in one’s want to feel better about themselves in comparison to others. At most, it is simply annoying for the
Pretentiousness, by literal definition, means “an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). In the real world, however, people tend to interpret it differently. Pretentiousness often has a negative connotation because people do not like to sense ingenuity or a superiority complex …show more content…
Some of the aforementioned “pretentious” hobbies are not necessarily pretentious. Most people do not do things with the sole purpose of demonstrating their intellectual superiority. If an activity is done with the motivation of pure enjoyment, then there is no pretension involved. Even if a hobby is done with the purpose of feeling superior, it does not indubitably mean that the person performing the hobby is a bad person. Wanting to feel superior and being superior are two different things. Omitting the career path and the workplace definition of “superior”, superiority is subjective. There is no real harm in one’s want to feel better about themselves in comparison to others. At most, it is simply annoying for the