as in pretending
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
she's not half as innocent as she likes to let on
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Recent Examples of letting on
But if any such expansion plans are in the works, Goldman isn’t letting on.
—
Josef Adalian, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
But according to renowned astrologer Chani Nicholas, the implications are more complicated than certain media may be letting on.
—Quispe López, Them., 9 Sep. 2025
Josef Adalian, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
But according to renowned astrologer Chani Nicholas, the implications are more complicated than certain media may be letting on.
—Quispe López, Them., 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for letting on
pretending
Verb
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Words like that carry generations of pain, and pretending otherwise only keeps the cycle going.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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People just pretending, and so on.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Letting on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/letting%20on. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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