1
as in rights
an entitlement to something
a pretension of long standing to the throne of Hungary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
has serious pretensions of becoming a writer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretensions
By the early 1950s, many clerics had come to see the Pahlavi monarchy, for all its secular pretensions, as a manageable partner.
—
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
The war with Ukraine has revealed the yawning gap between Russia’s pretensions and its capabilities.
—George F. Will, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2026
With his dweeby air, pretensions and position at the helm of an active production, Arthur is the Liz Lemon of this setup, but with the emphases reversed.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
The nation was to be purged of continual sin not indeed all of its own doing—due partly to its inheritance; and yet a sin, a negation that gave the world the right to sneer at the pretensions of this republic.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
This action comedy is audacious in portraying the pretensions of show business.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
The pilot isn’t quite sure what makes Arthur funny, alternating between jokes about his artistic pretensions and his extreme whiteness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026
His pretensions—riding around in a grand coach and continuing the weekly levees—as well as his administration’s notorious effort to enforce deference in the 1798 Sedition Act, fell flat.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Few things jar the delicate pretensions of the cocktail sophisticate so much as a drink with a chicken on top.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
The war with Ukraine has revealed the yawning gap between Russia’s pretensions and its capabilities.
—George F. Will, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2026
With his dweeby air, pretensions and position at the helm of an active production, Arthur is the Liz Lemon of this setup, but with the emphases reversed.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
The nation was to be purged of continual sin not indeed all of its own doing—due partly to its inheritance; and yet a sin, a negation that gave the world the right to sneer at the pretensions of this republic.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
This action comedy is audacious in portraying the pretensions of show business.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
The pilot isn’t quite sure what makes Arthur funny, alternating between jokes about his artistic pretensions and his extreme whiteness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026
His pretensions—riding around in a grand coach and continuing the weekly levees—as well as his administration’s notorious effort to enforce deference in the 1798 Sedition Act, fell flat.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Few things jar the delicate pretensions of the cocktail sophisticate so much as a drink with a chicken on top.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretensions
Noun
-
Before these recent protests, people who had taken to the streets had had very specific, clear humanistic and civil-rights demands.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
-
This preemptive legislation is an effort to protect our democracy and in line with existing voting rights laws built on the premise that the right to vote must be both defended and protected.—
Kica Matos,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As part of the Marriott Hotels & Resorts portfolio, the hotel also aligns with the brand’s Serve 360 sustainability goals.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Lewis’ goals are to increase accessibility to public information and protect voter information.—
Rachel Royster
Updated March 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There was no immediate response to the claims from Pakistani officials.—
ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN,
Arkansas Online,
2 Mar. 2026
-
While Iran’s coordination with and sponsorship of groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas are well known, Trump’s claims about Tehran’s ongoing development of nuclear weapons systems are less established — and the administration has provided little evidence to back them up.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Natanz facility was built for uranium enrichment purposes.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The Pentagon pushed back, demanding that the military be allowed to use the platform for any and all purposes that are deemed lawful.—
Lola Murti,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet even as Starbucks attempts to refocus on coffee by moving away from desserts masquerading as drinks, newer chains are making no pretenses about selling beverages that can easily tide someone over through a mealtime or two.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Johnson eventually pleaded no contest to three counts of false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Solutions like this will ensure everyday Americans never foot the bill for our country’s AI ambitions.—
Eric Schmidt,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Benjamin Reinhard, 14, won by correctly spelling the word kenosis, which refers to the act of a Christian person voluntarily giving up their personal rights and ambitions and accepting suffering, according to the spelling bee’s definition.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The bots provided the code and ready-to-execute plans to bypass firewalls.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The House last week put plans to mark up an institutional investors proposal on ice while the Senate advanced its version.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The limits of our power were clearly demonstrated, as insurgencies took hold and our major aims were unachieved.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
-
But the Form Energy technology Google will utilize aims to dispatch up to 100 hours of power at a time.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretensions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretensions. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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