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2
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
a woman full of pretension and pompousness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
the pretension of that French restaurant is more than I can bear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in purpose
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
has serious pretensions of becoming a writer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretension
Poland and its neighbors on Europe’s eastern tier have been vindicated in their warnings about Russian imperial pretensions and growing aggression.
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Daniel Fried, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2023
The assumption that an orchestra might play better or a ballerina will dance differently or a Broadway star change her act when a critic is in the third row says more about the pretensions of the critic than the artists.
Check out my website.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
Liberalism, with its universalist pretensions, may sit uneasily alongside seemingly parochial nationalism, but the two can be reconciled.
—Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2022
Delray Beach offers everything that’s quintessentially South Florida—colorful homes and architecture, a cultural melting pot, and the beach—without any pretension.
—Lia Picard, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for pretension 
Daniel Fried, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2023
The assumption that an orchestra might play better or a ballerina will dance differently or a Broadway star change her act when a critic is in the third row says more about the pretensions of the critic than the artists.
Check out my website.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
Liberalism, with its universalist pretensions, may sit uneasily alongside seemingly parochial nationalism, but the two can be reconciled.
—Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2022
Delray Beach offers everything that’s quintessentially South Florida—colorful homes and architecture, a cultural melting pot, and the beach—without any pretension.
—Lia Picard, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for pretension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretension
Noun
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Apple Music users can access their Replay by locating the Listen Now tab in the app, scrolling to the Replay section, tapping the Replay ’24 playlist and then selecting the plus button in the top right.Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024
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As long the branding does not weaken the future right of the Palestinian refugees, that can be an option.Karl Vick, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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She's paired up with Xeni (voiced by Richard Ayoade), a daydream director looking to move up into the big leagues of nighttime dreams but has a lot of artistic arrogance.Christian Holub, EW.com, 20 Nov. 2024
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This can help alleviate concerns about potential arrogance or difficulty in adjusting to team dynamics. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.Jack Kelly, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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At 71, his only other visible rock-star affectations are a gold stud in one ear and a black beaded bracelet on his left wrist.Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024
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His eccentricities — once easily dismissed as the affectations of a lonely man — read maniacal.Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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As retail evolves to meet changing consumer values, the Choose Love Store sets an example of what’s possible when shopping meets social purpose.Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
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The resort uses solar panels and desalinates water for landscaping purposes.Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The film explores how the extremists combine violence, threatened or actual, with sophisticated social media campaigns to bring their pseudoscientific claims of racial superiority to the mainstream.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
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The wholesale engulfing of the myth of white superiority is what makes that kind of violence.Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Electronic surveillance itself doesn’t make The Conversation a political film; Caul’s paranoia comes from his apolitical pretense.Armond White, National Review, 16 Aug. 2024
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But in his youth lies the reason for anonymity and pretense, Hoback claims.Joel Khalili, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The original goal when that CBA was written was for the WNBA to have multiple competitions, according to league sources.Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic, 3 Dec. 2024
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Puig, 25, had career highs for goals (13) and assists (15) during the regular season, then added four more goals and three assists in four playoff games.Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The former calls for a counterfactual view of how testing works; the latter calls for political will and policy ideas not currently in evidence.Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
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This is the same guy who wanted to close UCF and proposed other radical ideas like appointing himself as president of Florida Atlantic University.Letters to the Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pretension
Cite this Entry
“Pretension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretension. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.
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