pretext

[ pree-tekst ]

/ ˈpri tɛkst /

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noun

something that is put forward to conceal a true purpose or object; an ostensible reason; excuse: The leaders used the insults as a pretext to declare war.

the misleading appearance or behavior assumed with this intention: His many lavish compliments were a pretext for subtle mockery.

OTHER WORDS FOR pretext

2 subterfuge, evasion.

See synonyms for pretext on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of pretext

1505–15; <Latin praetextum pretext, ornament, noun use of neuter past participle of praetexere to pretend, literally, to weave in front, hence, adorn. See pre-, texture

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pretext

pretense, pretext

Words nearby pretext

preterm, pretermit, preternatural, preternaturally, pretest, pretext, pretexta, pretexting, preticketed, pretonic, pretor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pretext in a sentence

How to upgrade your favorite sandwichAs many of us did, I channeled my covid anxiety into cooking and eating, using the pandemic as a pretext — okay, an excuse — to abandon dietary discipline temporarily, especially in the carb department.
Give in to pandemic cravings, starting with a homemade cheesesteak sandwich|David Hagedorn|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
For Kavovit, that design was symbolic, as she considered that many of the women who say they were harassed or assaulted by Weinstein say they were brought behind closed doors under the pretext of work meetings.
‘I’ve had a lot of Harveys in my life’: Meet the female construction company owner who demolished the Weinstein Company’s old office|ehinchliffe|December 9, 2020|Fortune
Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney suggested Sunday that Florida State officials used a positive coronavirus test by a Tigers player Friday as a pretext to get out of a game they preferred not to play.
Dabo Swinney says Florida State used Clemson positive test as an ‘excuse’ to not play game|Des Bieler|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
In April, the president signed a decree, imploring telecoms companies to handover data on 226 million Brazilian citizens to the state statistical organization under the pretext of monitoring income and employment during the pandemic.
Podcast: COVID-19 is helping turn Brazil into a surveillance state|Anthony Green|September 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The 16-person crew booked an airplane under the pretext of flying to Stockholm for a wedding.
The Failed Hijacking That Remade the Soviet Union|Eromo Egbejule|August 24, 2020|Ozy
Maula Bux himself was killed in 2006, after being lured across the border by Iranian forces on the pretext of a drug deal.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But now everything was a good pretext to vent the rebellious mood.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some Syrian rebel groups maintain that the Americans invented Khorasan as a pretext for the attack.
Spies Warned White House: Don’t Hit Al Qaeda in Syria|Shane Harris, Jamie Dettmer|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he warned against using the pretext of defense to launch vast campaigns of destruction.
Pope Francis vs. The Warmongers|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That pretext may have come with the violence that erupted in the port city of Odessa on yesterday.
Carnage in Ukraine: Dozens of Pro-Russia Activists Die in Odessa|Jamie Dettmer|May 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both had appealed to Napoleon; consequently there was a decent pretext for sending a French army into Spain.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
That is a very flimsy pretext, so that the fiscals may not perform their duties faithfully against the governor.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
And for this reason the first help should be given to this State, and not to what has the pretext of piety.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
She had a daughter who served her as a pretext for cultivating the society of young men of fashion.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
She might have invented a pretext for staying away; she might even invent a pretext now for going.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for pretext

pretext

/ (ˈpriːtɛkst) /

noun

a fictitious reason given in order to conceal the real one

a specious excuse; pretence

Word Origin for pretext

C16: from Latin praetextum disguise, from praetexere to weave in front, disguise; see texture

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

pretext

OTHER WORDS FOR pretext

Origin of pretext

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pretext

Words nearby pretext

Words related to pretext

How to use pretext in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pretext

Word Origin for pretext