pretence
[pri-tens, pree-tens]
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pretense
[pri-tens, pree-tens]
- pretending or feigning; make-believe: My sleepiness was all pretense.
- a false show of something: a pretense of friendship.
- a piece of make-believe.
- the act of pretending or alleging falsely.
- a false allegation or justification: He excused himself from the lunch on a pretense of urgent business.
- insincere or false profession: His pious words were mere pretense.
- the putting forth of an unwarranted claim.
- the claim itself.
- any allegation or claim: to obtain money under false pretenses.
- pretension (usually followed by to): destitute of any pretense to wit.
- pretentiousness.
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Also especially British, pre·tence.
Origin of pretense
1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin *praetēnsa, noun use of feminine of praetēnsus, past participle (replacing Latin praetentus) of praetendere to pretend
Synonyms
See more synonyms for pretense on Thesaurus.com1. shamming. 2. semblance. 3. mask, veil.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pretence
Contemporary Examples
Although Vanessa comforted herself with the pretence that I had two fathers, in reality—emotional reality, that is—I had none.
Kelly, however, goes a step further and abandons any pretence of subtlety.
At his most devastating, Ellison abandons any pretence of literary realism.
The latest addition to the most-wanted list, Hafeez Saeed, the head of Lashkar-e-Taiba, does not even make any pretence of hiding.
Obama’s Deal With Afghanistan Underscores Its Crucial Role in the War on TerrorBruce Riedel
May 3, 2012
We can't disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.
Historical Examples
When he "played" with Baby Akemit thereafter, the pretence was not all with the child.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Only three of them she knew made any pretence of earning their living.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
Only, the cruelty must be whitewashed by a moral excuse, and a pretence of reluctance.
A Treatise on Parents and ChildrenGeorge Bernard Shaw
I shall probably put off his arrival under some pretence or other.
Lady SusanJane Austen
She loved him so much that she could not keep up this pretence of strength!
The Foolish LoversSt. John G. Ervine
pretence
US pretense
- the act of pretending
- a false display; affectation
- a claim, esp a false one, to a right, title, or distinction
- make-believe or feigning
- a false claim or allegation; pretext
- a less common word for pretension (def. 3)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pretence
pretense
n.
also pretence, early 15c., "the putting forth of a claim," from Anglo-French pretensse, Middle French pretensse (Modern French prétense), from Medieval Latin noun use of fem. of Late Latin praetensus, altered from Latin praetentus, past participle of praetendere (see pretend). Meaning "false or hypocritical profession" is from 1540s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper