pretenses

noun

variants or pretences
plural of pretense
1
as in facades
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive her display of bravado was just a pretense

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rights
an entitlement to something this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 pretenses Trimpey also faces a felony charge of obtaining money by false pretenses. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 At school, Jin’s oldest daughter, Jane, teams up with a Black classmate, one of few, to expose their neighbors’ prejudices and pretenses. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Fernando Navarro, 53, of Minneapolis, is facing four counts of felony fraud for collecting nearly $70,000 in funds from Minnesota's medical assistance program under false pretenses. — Riley Moser, CBS News, 23 June 2026 However, according to Ryan, Hernandez was a fraud, allegedly seeking money under false pretenses. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 18 June 2026 For all the Court’s pretenses—all of its insistence on the rule of law, precedent, and good faith—many critics and supporters of the Roberts Court see the institution as an appendage of the Republican Party. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 Officials allege the group sold the oil under false pretenses and used the profits to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026 In the documentary, a man running the shelter, who identified himself as Charles Lubajja, tells the undercover reporters that the shelter exists primarily to make money from social media users abroad under false pretenses. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026 Marks was also charged with obtaining property under false pretenses and misdemeanor larceny. — Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenses
  1. facades
  2. rights
  3. guises
  4. claims
  5. shows
  6. pretensions
  7. airs
  8. poses
Noun
  • The old silver and gold shops, their facades blackened by time, were gone.
    — Lina Sergie Attar, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
  • This was once one of the principal streets used by Tallinn’s wealthy merchants and remains lined with former guild buildings and elaborate historic facades.
    — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of facades
Noun
  • Suu Kyi is serving her sentence under house arrest at an undisclosed location in the capital Naypyitaw, on charges that her supporters and rights groups have said are politically motivated.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The Coastal Commission is widely expected to take any adverse ruling to court, potentially arguing that the federal government can’t deny a state its fundamental rights — in this case, a say over projects that affect its economy — over politics.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of rights
Noun
  • Somewhere between a sandal and a ballet flat, caged silhouettes come in all manner of guises.
    — Sarah Leigh Bannerman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026
  • Footballing success, in differing guises, came a long time ago.
    — Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Definition of guises
Noun
  • The piece urges critical inquiry into such claims, emphasizing that human oversight, not AI's inherent deviousness, can be a sizable contributor.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Ethics Committee, a bipartisan panel that investigates claims of misconduct involving House members, did not say if Miller’s request is what triggered the investigation.
    — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of claims
Noun
  • Additionally, Apple and MLS came to that agreement when MLS was primarily in a summer timeframe – a stretch when there’s less TV competition for live sports (and new shows) beyond baseball.
    — John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And that rate stayed above 1 out of every 1,000 for the next two seasons, CDC data shows.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shows
Noun
  • The genre, with its sanitized storylines and Oscar-baiting pretensions, seems fundamentally at odds with the iconoclastic chef and television personality.
    — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Like Paul Schrader’s 1982 version of the latter, this is an upscale genre piece whose pretensions towards Art are upfront, starting with a quotation from no less than Schopenhauer.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026
Definition of pretensions
Noun
  • Firstly, since The Shards airs on FX, cord-cutters have the option to watch live on any streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Fubo, Sling and Hulu + Live TV.
    — Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Alice is not a person who puts on airs to please others; quite the opposite.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of airs
Noun
  • Urgessa is known for his alluring figurative paintings that feature various Black figures often in enigmatic poses and spaces.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to some fierce poses, the couple also shared some sweet, intimate looks at one another in front of the cameras.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of poses

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pretense
pretenses
pretension
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Cite this Entry

“Pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenses. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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