pretext

as in justification
a false ground that you give to hide why you are really doing something The leaders used a minor clash at the border as a pretext for war.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun pretext contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pretext are alibi, apologia, apology, excuse, and plea. While all these words mean "matter offered in explanation or defense," pretext suggests subterfuge and the offering of false reasons or motives in excuse or explanation.

used any pretext to get out of work

Where would alibi be a reasonable alternative to pretext?

The synonyms alibi and pretext are sometimes interchangeable, but alibi implies a desire to shift blame or evade punishment and imputes mere plausibility to the explanation.

his alibi failed to stand scrutiny

When might apologia be a better fit than pretext?

While the synonyms apologia and pretext are close in meaning, apologia implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief, or position.

his speech was an apologia for his foreign policy

When is it sensible to use apology instead of pretext?

In some situations, the words apology and pretext are roughly equivalent. However, apology usually applies to an expression of regret for a mistake or wrong with implied admission of guilt or fault and with or without reference to mitigating or extenuating circumstances.

said by way of apology that he would have met them if he could

In what contexts can excuse take the place of pretext?

The meanings of excuse and pretext largely overlap; however, excuse implies an intent to avoid or remove blame or censure.

used illness as an excuse for missing the meeting

When would plea be a good substitute for pretext?

The words plea and pretext are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, plea stresses argument or appeal for understanding or sympathy or mercy.

her usual plea that she was nearsighted

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 pretext Many of them believe people should be deported for violating immigration law, not just using these violations as a pretext for punishing them for breaking other laws, even if most think criminal immigrants should be the top enforcement priority. W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025 But as always, the plots are there almost as a pretext to spend time with the characters, and the whole cast is good company. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025 The Administration has relied on two pretexts to justify these incursions. Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 25 May 2025 The same inaccurate notion has become the pretext for the Trump administration to welcome Afrikaners, white South Africans of Dutch descent, into the U.S. as refugees supposedly fleeing persecution. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for pretext
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretext
Noun
  • Trump’s predecessors feared that strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, regardless of their tactical success, could give Tehran the political justification to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and openly pursue nuclear arms, driving its program further underground and out of sight.
    Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025
  • The country's President Vladimir Putin met with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Moscow on June 23 and said there was no justification for the U.S. attack and called aggression against Iran groundless.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • In Virginia, Democratic turnout rose even without much of a reason to vote.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 19 June 2025
  • There is no reason to believe that an enemy wouldn’t take a page out of the Israeli playbook and go after leadership.
    Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • It’s been tough to shuffle the pitching rotation, and tough to shuttle guys back and forth from Triple-A to make up for injuries, but the Mets aren’t using injuries as an excuse.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
  • The incident offered Russia an excuse to send in military forces and grab control of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
    Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Theft by false pretense: Someone contacted a Saratoga resident claiming to work for Kaiser Hospital and the Chinese police.
    Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 17 June 2025
  • World & Nation Sean Combs’ inner circle reveals a world of guns, abuse, kidnapping and death threats May 28, 2025 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, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • What’s uncontested is that evolution in any guise has surprises in store.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2025
  • Many of Mulaney’s friends — including Kroll, Seth Meyers and others from Mulaney’s inner circle — convinced him to come under the guise of a college friend’s dinner.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 27 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pretext.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretext. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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