variants
or pretence
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in airs
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
her display of bravado was just a pretense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in claim
an entitlement to something
this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretense
The federal indictment alleges that Combs and his associates lured female victims, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.
—
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
There's no pretense, just a natural ease that fills the room — a reminder that beneath the accolades and record-breaking career, Kenan Thompson is, at his core, someone who makes people feel at home.
—Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
After his arrest, Duffy had faked amnesia and sought asylum in a psychiatric hospital, where doctors prevented the police from interrogating him, but the pretense of the amnesia was exposed at the trial by his ex-wife and a friend.
—Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
May 8 Theft by false pretense: Someone contacted a Saratoga resident, claiming to be a member of the Federal Trade Commission.
—Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretense
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
There's no pretense, just a natural ease that fills the room — a reminder that beneath the accolades and record-breaking career, Kenan Thompson is, at his core, someone who makes people feel at home.
—Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
After his arrest, Duffy had faked amnesia and sought asylum in a psychiatric hospital, where doctors prevented the police from interrogating him, but the pretense of the amnesia was exposed at the trial by his ex-wife and a friend.
—Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
May 8 Theft by false pretense: Someone contacted a Saratoga resident, claiming to be a member of the Federal Trade Commission.
—Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretense
Noun
-
From our review: Tessa Van den Broeck, a newcomer, plays Julie with zero affectation.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
No fussy affectations, just a deliberate tamping down of his more charismatic qualities.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The importance of hairstyles did not disappear from American culture, but even some hairstyles became increasingly subject to claims of biological inevitability: white women grew long hair naturally, and white men grew full beards naturally.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
-
The lawsuit’s claim that retaliation from the Trump administration could be imminent for schools that do not comply with the administration’s demands is not entirely speculative.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
The film sardonically conjures a golden age of interventionist arrogance.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
29 May 2025
-
Here are the more common ways insecurities can manifest themselves: • Confidence will turn into arrogance.—
Bill English,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
And often next to Ed, holding a single malt, there would be an unsmiling writer of great pretension looking down at you from a great height.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2025
-
Many of the early bands’ sound had a preciseness to it and a simultaneous lack of pretension.—
Nate Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
When the Parks and Recreation alum was shot and killed at just 59 years old during a dispute with his neighbor on Sunday, June 1, his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claimed the act of violence was a hate crime.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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The act of finding and identifying the missing was thus seen as essential for rebuilding a nation, whose identity is shaped by those who disappeared.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
As long as the world remains fixated on the Jews and Israel, Islamists and their allies can use their overwhelming numbers (and, yes, their financial superiority) to flood the zone with demonizing propaganda and portray themselves as the good guys.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
-
The company reports that comparative tests consistently confirm its superiority over traditional elastomers, especially after aggressive industrial processing.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Earlier on Friday, organizers suspended shows due to weather around 1 p.m. and evacuated Centeroo shortly after.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
14 June 2025
-
Burns departed the show in 2002 and was replaced by Donovan Patton and later, Joshua Dela Cruz, the show's current host.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Courts are also increasingly scrutinizing environmental claims—down to the assumptions behind individual offsets.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
Mass incarceration, which swept the country in the late twentieth century, rested on the assumption that a person spoiling for a fight with another person was weighing costs: that the difference between ten years and twenty-five would matter.—
Malcolm Gladwell,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretense. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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