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pretextual

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pretextual¹

Where it comes from

From pretext + -ual.

adjective more pretextual · most pretextual

  1. Having a false, contrived or assumed purpose; characterized by pretense. "If you're accused of profiling or pretextual stops, you can bring your daily logbook to court and document that pulling over motorists for 'stickler' reasons is part of your customary pattern," Remsberg writes, "not a glaring exception conveniently dusted off in the defendant's case."

    Similar: pretextuous

pretextual²

Where it comes from

From pre- + textual.

adjective

  1. not comparable Before the existence of a text. They maintained that while historical critics sought to get behind the text to its pretextual and early textual origins (a “diachronic” approach), literary critics concentrated on the final product, the text as it now stands (a “synchronic” approach).

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MLA

"pretextual." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pretextual. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pretextual. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pretextual

Chicago

"pretextual." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pretextual.

BibTeX
@misc{pretextual_2026,
  title = {pretextual},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pretextual},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}