pretense

noun

ˈprē-ˌten(t)s How to pronounce pretense (audio)
variants or pretence
Definition of pretensenext
1
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case she seemed to be a very down-to-earth woman who was completely free of pretense

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in facade
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive her display of bravado was just a pretense

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3
as in right
an entitlement to something this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness

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4
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims the pretense of that woman in thinking that the other hotel guests should be inconvenienced just for her

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretense Conference expansion has shattered pretenses to regional coherence. — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026 Cinematic pretense and the kinds political leaders and media personalities use to sell ideas are often one and the same. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 Sam and all the other players convulse in hysterics at the pretense that Vic is technically still behind at least some of the rope. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026 Using the pretense of a documentary film crew, the show follows the excruciatingly dull workday experiences of a paper supply company in a drab office in a bleak industrial estate in Slough, England. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pretense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretense
  1. affectation
  2. facade
  3. right
  4. arrogance
  5. pretension
  6. guise
  7. claim
  8. superiority
Noun
  • But, even then, American socialists walked a fine line—they were considered too radical for the mainstream and a mere bourgeois affectation by committed class revolutionaries.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • With rare exceptions, EV sound is little more than an affectation.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of affectation
Noun
  • Underneath that façade was a sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.
    — Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Starting in 2027, the Plaza Hotel will embark on a four-year-long renovation of its marble façade.
    — Timothy Latterner, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of facade
Noun
  • Many of his domestic critics have faulted him for prolonging the war in Gaza to appease his far-right allies, and for permitting ultra-Orthodox Jews to forgo military service to appease that sizable religious voter bloc.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ellison fils’s most high-profile hiring decision was to enlist Bari Weiss—the former Times Opinion editor and founder of the center-right publication The Free Press—as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of right
Noun
  • Ilya is looking for work as an assistant, and the professor, with his dandyish nerd arrogance, tells him to look at a paper he’s written and come back in a few days.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This standalone novel looks at the cult of celebrity, the bond among parents and children, entitlement and arrogance, all wrapped into a tightly wound plot that’s an evocative historical steeped in the Great Depression.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • The film, which world premiered at the Berlinale, turns artistic pretension, female friendship and domestic chaos into a comic ensemble piece.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Their trading volume, political influence and public profiles have expanded — as have their pretensions.
    — W. Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretension
Noun
  • In the novel, likewise, the narrator assumes an almost Homeric guise, comparing current harbor gossip to chatter from the Phoenician, Cretan, Greek, and Roman eras.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But unlike Backrooms, SCP Foundation has always been more centralized to this one website, and every subsequent SCP Foundation work has always fallen under the guise of the Creative Commons license, something the Backrooms creepypasta never did.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of guise
Noun
  • The claim that Ukraine has halted its strikes on energy sites could not be independently verified, but neither Russian officials nor media have reported Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries since the energy truce was announced.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Gilbert shared a post to his Instagram story responding to the outcry from fans of the actor over the weekend, addressing claims that Danny is pro-ICE or supports Shapiro’s politics.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of claim
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which sees space superiority as essential to winning future wars, is developing a range of space capabilities as well as a suite of weapons that can attack satellites.
    — Kathleen Curlee, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Credibility is affected deeply by strategic cultural assessments about superiority and inferiority, and notions about when, where, how and for whom the credibility matters.
    — Christopher Nichols, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of superiority

Phrases Containing pretense

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pretends
pretense
pretenses
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Cite this Entry

“Pretense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretense. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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