pretense
English · Thesaurus
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pretense
- /ˈpɹiːtɛns/
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French pretensse, from Late Latin praetēnsus, past participle of Latin praetendō (“to pretend”), from prae- (“before”) + tendō (“to stretch”); see pretend.
noun pretenses · pretence · prætense
- The action of pretending; false or simulated show or appearance; false or hypocritical assertion or representation. He visited the king under the pretense of friendliness.
- Affectation or ostentation of manner. She was a plain-speaking woman without a hint of pretense.
- Intention or purpose not real but professed. with only a pretense of accuracy
- An unsupported claim made or implied. He was gentlemanly, steady, tractable, with a thorough knowledge of his duties; and in time, when yet very young, he became chief mate of a fine ship, without ever having been tested by those events of the sea that show in the light of day the inner worth of a man, the edge of his temper, and the fi
- An insincere attempt to reach a specific condition or quality. His visit was duly paid. He came with a pretence at an apology from their sister-in-law, for not coming too […]
- Intention; design. A very pretence and purpose of unkindness.
Similar: affectation denotes deception for the sake of escape from punishment, an awkward situation, false pretense, fiction, imitation, pretext, sham, subterfuge
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: feigning, pretence, make-believe, pretending, dissembling, pretension, simulation, pretext, sham, airs, contention, guise, excuse, claim, camouflage, signboard
Translations
Every language
noun act of pretending or pretension; false or hypocritical profession
| Español | pretensión, pretenso, achaque |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | बहाना bahānā |
| Français | prétention |
| Deutsch | Vortäuschung, Vorspiegelung, Vortäuschen, Anschein, Heucheln, Vorwand |
| Русский | притво́рство pritvórstvo |
| Tiếng Việt | giả tạo |
| العربية | ذريعة |
noun unsupported claim
| Español | cubierta |
|---|
Talk about this word "pretense." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pretense. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pretense. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pretense "pretense." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pretense.Cite this
@misc{pretense_2026,
title = {pretense},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pretense},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
