variants
or pretences
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
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Recent Examples of pretenses
The adults were arrested on suspicion of theft from an elder, theft by false pretenses, conspiracy, contracting without a license and other offenses.
—
Tim Fang, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Yet even as Starbucks attempts to refocus on coffee by moving away from desserts masquerading as drinks, newer chains are making no pretenses about selling beverages that can easily tide someone over through a mealtime or two.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Toronto might be considered the New York City of Canada, but Bo Bichette is under no pretenses that playing for the Blue Jays is comparable to playing for one of the baseball teams in the Big Apple.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Aurora Municipal Court Judge Brian Whitney issued an order last year pausing more than 300 cases in which attorneys challenged issues under the same pretenses as those before the Supreme Court.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
They were booked into Contra Costa County jail on charges of grand theft of an animal, theft by false pretenses and conspiracy.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in a May report that women from more than 20 African countries had been recruited under false pretences to make drones for Russia’s war.
—Reuters 16 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The audience meets Charles, who is completing yet another stint in jail, this time for false pretenses and evading arrest.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Tim Fang, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Yet even as Starbucks attempts to refocus on coffee by moving away from desserts masquerading as drinks, newer chains are making no pretenses about selling beverages that can easily tide someone over through a mealtime or two.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Toronto might be considered the New York City of Canada, but Bo Bichette is under no pretenses that playing for the Blue Jays is comparable to playing for one of the baseball teams in the Big Apple.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Aurora Municipal Court Judge Brian Whitney issued an order last year pausing more than 300 cases in which attorneys challenged issues under the same pretenses as those before the Supreme Court.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
They were booked into Contra Costa County jail on charges of grand theft of an animal, theft by false pretenses and conspiracy.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in a May report that women from more than 20 African countries had been recruited under false pretences to make drones for Russia’s war.
—Reuters 16 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The audience meets Charles, who is completing yet another stint in jail, this time for false pretenses and evading arrest.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenses
Noun
-
Via Mormino Penna is one of Sicily’s most theatrical streetscapes, lined with facades adorned with apotropaic masks, grotesque faces meant to ward off evil.—
Jenn Rice,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Gary Broadway Main Street’s next steps include working with existing businesses to help update facades, Robinson said, and the organization has available funding for those businesses.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Age-verification laws are a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of Americans, as the district courts in both Mississippi and Ohio have already concluded.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Laporta responded to the crisis by deciding Barcelona could no longer afford Messi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain, and selling off some club assets, including 25% of its Spanish league TV rights for the next 25 years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But sometimes the squashing of speech can appear in other guises.—
Andrea Valdez,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This moment will come in many guises.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Corpus’ lawsuit against the county, San Mateo County Superior Court ruled last year that the county waived its privilege claims over Cordell’s billing records by publicly releasing her report — which contained her findings and impressions of witnesses.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Pakistan also rejected those claims.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The pair also address Quentin Tarantino‘s recent claim on The Joe Rogan Experience that TV shows don’t stick with you the way movies do.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
18 Mar. 2026
-
On the other side of the museum’s grand staircase, two engrossing small shows extend the presentation of Spanish art both forward and backward in time.—
Benjamin Lima
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Traditionally, Oscars hosts have been at their best when puncturing the pretensions of the stars in attendance, but for the most part, host Conan O’Brien bought into their sense of their own righteousness.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
By the early 1950s, many clerics had come to see the Pahlavi monarchy, for all its secular pretensions, as a manageable partner.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Episodes six and seven drop on March 18, while the finale airs on March 25.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The contest airs on MSG and FDSIN.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The actress struck several swanky poses on the red carpet, evoking old Hollywood glamour.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Big expense The link between lower incomes and higher smoking poses quite a conundrum.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenses. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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