pretense

1 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 Synonyms affectation, affectedness, grandiosity, inflation, pretension, pretentiousness Related Words arrogance, bumptiousness, complacency, conceit, egotism, hauteur, imperiousness, pompousness, presumptuousness, pride, self-aggrandizement, self-assertion, self-assumption, self-conceit, self-consequence, self-glorification, self-importance, self-satisfaction, smugness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity; disdain, haughtiness, lordliness, snobbery, snobbishness, superciliousness, superiority; confidence, presumption, self-assurance, self-confidence, sureness; boastfulness, braggadocio; aggressiveness, assertiveness, audaciousness, boldness, brassiness, cheekiness, cockiness, forwardness, impudence, insolence, rudeness; grandiloquence; flamboyance, flashiness, garishness, gaudiness, glitz, mummery, ostentation, ostentatiousness, show, showiness Near Antonyms demureness, down-to-earthness, humbleness, humility, lowliness, meekness, modesty; bashfulness, diffidence, shyness, timidity; naturalness, sincerity

2 a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive her display of bravado was just a pretense Synonyms act, airs, charade, disguise, facade (also façade), front, guise, playacting, pose, masquerade (or pretence), put-on, semblance, showRelated Words impersonation, performance, portrayal; image, persona; appearance, color, gloss; camouflage, cloak; affectation, deceit, deception, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, duplicity, fakery, fraud, guile; betrayal, double cross, faithlessness, falseness, falsity, infidelity, perfidy, treachery, treason, unfaithfulness; excuse, pretextNear Antonyms bluntness, candidness, candor, directness, forthrightness, frankness, openheartedness, outspokenness, plainspokenness, sincerity, straightforwardness; artlessness, genuineness, naïveté (also naivete or naiveté)

3 an entitlement to something this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness Synonyms call, dibs, claim (or pretence), pretension, rightRelated Words birthright, prerogative, title; favor, privilege; refusalNear Antonyms disclaimer, quitclaim, release, waiver

4 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 Synonyms assumption, bumptiousness, consequence, haughtiness, hauteur, high horse, huffiness, imperiousness, loftiness, lordliness, masterfulness, peremptoriness, pomposity, pompousness, presumptuousness, arrogance (or pretence), pretension, pretentiousness, self-consequence, self-importance, superciliousness, superiority, toploftinessRelated Words authoritativeness, bossiness, bowwow, brag, dominance, high-handedness; condescension, disdain, scorn; chest-thumping, inflation, self-assertion, side [chiefly British], snobbery, snobbishness, snobbism, snootiness; attitude, cheek, cheekiness, impertinence, impudence, sauciness; boastfulness, bombast, braggadocio, bravado, strut, swagger, triumphalism, vaingloriousness, vainglory; cockiness, complacence, conceit, egoism, egotism, pride, pridefulness, self-assumption, self-centeredness, self-complacency, self-conceit, self-content, self-contentment, self-opinion, self-partiality, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, vanity; superiority complexNear Antonyms bashfulness, demureness, retiringness, shyness; diffidence, self-distrust, self-doubt, timidity, timidness; lowliness, meekness, mousiness, passiveness, passivity, submissiveness; quietness, reserve, reservednessAntonyms humility, modesty, unassumingness, unpretentiousness