pretense
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.
Origin of pretense
1- Also British, pre·tence .
Other words for pretense
1 | shamming |
2 | semblance |
3 | mask, veil |
Other words from pretense
- pre·tense·ful, adjective
- pre·tense·less, adjective
Words that may be confused with pretense
- pretense , pretext
Words Nearby pretense
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pretense in a sentence
Stewart also pleaded guilty to collecting about $261,000 on false pretenses from another small business loan program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which provides low-interest financing to struggling small businesses during disasters.
Contractor Who Was Awarded $34.5 Million in Government Money and Provided Zero Masks Pleads Guilty to Fraud | by J. David McSwane | February 3, 2021 | ProPublicaSometimes they would send a target an infected file under the pretense of collaborating on vulnerability research.
It had a lot of joy because there was not a lot of pretense.
America doesn’t need inaugural balls. But there’s something lost when they disappear. | Roxanne Roberts | January 19, 2021 | Washington PostThe Republican Party has proved that its hatred of liberals is so foundational that it will abandon any pretense of commitment to democracy, if democracy allows for the possibility that liberals might win an election.
Hatred of liberals is all that’s left of conservatism | Paul Waldman | December 11, 2020 | Washington PostWe’ve dropped the pretense that this is not a looks-based profession.
‘Take off your mask’: Boorish customers have found a way to make sexual harassment even more of a hazard | Monica Hesse | December 10, 2020 | Washington Post
In Iraq and Syria, unlike in Libya, there is no pretense that this is anything less than war in the constitutional sense.
We would perhaps be tossing out any pretense of traditional baseball in exchange for popular thrill-a-minute spectacle.
They are winning incremental battles under the pretense of health regulations and parental consent.
Ten Reasons Women Are Losing While Gays Keep Winning | Jay Michaelson | July 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere is not even the pretense of actual interaction with voters.
Good Riddance to Steve Stockman, the Grifter Congressman Who Ran for Senate | Ben Jacobs | March 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAll along, Orman never made any pretense about her sexuality.
After long delays Crane and Keith made pretense of building camps and starting to log.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandNo one who makes any pretense of seeing England will miss either of these places.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. MurphyCome, Peter Snooks, to the dog that was never far out of sight, well at least make a pretense of being useful.
Those Dale Girls | Frank Weston CarruthWhat oceans of futility one discovered, what mountains of pretense—and with what forests of scholarship grown over them!
Love's Pilgrimage | Upton SinclairRuth always suspected that Uncle Jabez Potter made a pretense of being really worse than he was.
Ruth Fielding At College | Alice B. Emerson
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