PRETENSIONS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

pretensions

noun

plural of pretension

as in rights

an entitlement to something a pretension of long standing to the throne of Hungary

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in goals

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish has serious pretensions of becoming a writer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pretensions Perfection is inhuman, and pretensions to it are both doomed and misbegotten. —

Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026 The digs at the pretensions of artists, channeled through Claire’s decision to make her death a public spectacle in order to secure some future fame, are less amusing here because the blows never seem to quite connect with their targets. —

Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026 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 The war with Ukraine has revealed the yawning gap between Russia’s pretensions and its capabilities. —

George F. Will, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2026 With his dweeby air, pretensions and position at the helm of an active production, Arthur is the Liz Lemon of this setup, but with the emphases reversed. —

Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026 The nation was to be purged of continual sin not indeed all of its own doing—due partly to its inheritance; and yet a sin, a negation that gave the world the right to sneer at the pretensions of this republic. —

James Folta, Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026 This action comedy is audacious in portraying the pretensions of show business. —

Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretensions

Noun

Surrounded by some of the state capital’s oldest buildings, the Green is where troops once assembled during the American Revolution and where suffragettes campaigned for women’s rights.

— Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
Although Blatter himself was not charged in the investigation, his regime collapsed under the weight of hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes for TV rights and other spoils, and he was soon banned from international football for ethical breaches.

— Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026