pretense

[ pri-tens, pree-tens ]
See synonyms for pretense on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. pretending or feigning; make-believe: My sleepiness was all pretense.

  2. a false show of something: a pretense of friendship.

  1. a piece of make-believe.

  2. the act of pretending or alleging falsely.

  3. a false allegation or justification: He excused himself from the lunch on a pretense of urgent business.

  4. insincere or false profession: His pious words were mere pretense.

  5. the putting forth of an unwarranted claim.

  6. the claim itself.

  7. any allegation or claim: to obtain money under false pretenses.

  8. pretension (usually followed by to): destitute of any pretense to wit.

Origin of pretense

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from unattested Medieval Latin praetēnsa, noun use of feminine of praetēnsus, past participle (replacing Latin praetentus ) of praetendere “to put forward, stretch forth, pretend”; see origin at pretend
  • Also British, pre·tence .

Other words for pretense

Other words from pretense

  • pre·tense·ful, adjective
  • pre·tense·less, adjective

Words that may be confused with pretense

Words Nearby pretense

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pretense in a sentence