pretension
noun
the laying of a claim to something.
pretensions
-
pluralof pretension.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Britain, the “angry young men” movement led by John Osborne in the theater was underway, and the social pretensions and expertly crafted witticisms of Coward’s comedies had fallen out of fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Edmund is said to be brilliant but we mostly get evidence of his pretensions and “annoying air of lazy authority.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
And directors Bailey and Barbato seem intent on casting Louisville as a place of poseurs and pretensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
However, Wales will relish the chance to stick a spanner in the spokes and puncture such title pretensions.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2025
How pallid by comparison are the pretensions of superstition and pseudoscience; how important it is for us to pursue and understand science, that characteristically human endeavor.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
