Synonyms of pretenses

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

• facades
• guises
• shows
• airs
• poses
• disguises
• masquerades
• semblances
• charades
• pretexts
• acts
• fronts
• cloaks
• personae
• affectations
• deceptions
• put-ons
• performances
• portrayals
• deceits
• impersonations
• duplicities
• appearances
• excuses
• guiles
• betrayals
• glosses
• frauds
• colors
• images
• dissimulations
• perfidies
• treasons
• treacheries
• infidelities
• falsities
• double-dealings
• fakeries
• camouflages
• double crosses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• candors
• sincerities
• naïvetés

2

as in rights

an entitlement to something

this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rights
• claims
• pretensions
• calls
• titles
• privileges
• dibs
• prerogatives
• refusals
• birthrights
• favors

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• waivers
• releases
• disclaimers
• quitclaims

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pretenses

Johnson created the story of Nancy (Emilia Jones), who is not a girlfriend, but a crush who Bourdain foolhardily (and under false pretenses) follows to Provincetown after not getting a writing fellowship. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2026

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