pretense

British, pre·tence

[pri-tens, pree-tens]

noun

1. pretending or feigning; make-believe.

   My sleepiness was all pretense.

2. a false show of something.

   a pretense of friendship.

   Synonyms: semblance

3. a piece of make-believe.

   Synonyms: veil, mask

4. the act of pretending or alleging falsely.

5. a false allegation or justification.

   He excused himself from the lunch on a pretense of urgent business.

6. insincere or false profession.

   His pious words were mere pretense.

7. the putting forth of an unwarranted claim.

8. the claim itself.

9. any allegation or claim.

   to obtain money under false pretenses.

10. pretension (usually followed byto ).

    destitute of any pretense to wit.

11. pretentiousness.

Other Word Forms

• pretenseful adjective
• pretenseless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pretense¹

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”; pretend

Example Sentences

Admittedly, much of social life consists of maintaining a thin pretense of normality.

From Salon

On Aug. 20, Carrasco-Ramirez was arrested and booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in the French Valley on suspicion of grand theft, theft by false pretenses and passing counterfeit checks.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Authority’s apparent repeated use of misleading ridership projections, despite longstanding warnings from experts, raises serious questions about whether funds were allocated under false pretenses,” Comer wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

We now recognize the pressure to forge a brand, even if said brand is a pretense of not caring about one’s image.

From Los Angeles Times

“Over 90 percent of entitlement fraud is committed by U.S. citizens, underscoring the false pretense of sharing this information with ICE.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• charade 
• cloak 
• pretext 
• semblance 
• veneer