as in reasons
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.
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Recent Examples of pretexts
Gaza showed how power brokers from the White House on down seem eager for pretexts to punish dissent in ways that create a chilling effect, and that the hottest rhetoric from activists can be exactly that pretext.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Hamas says that Israel is creating pretexts to avoid honoring the agreement.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2025
Those killed under torture, or by starvation, or medical neglect, on the other hand, were transported first to military hospitals where pretexts were invented for the deaths.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Hamas says that Israel is creating pretexts to avoid honoring the agreement.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2025
Those killed under torture, or by starvation, or medical neglect, on the other hand, were transported first to military hospitals where pretexts were invented for the deaths.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretexts
Noun
-
Ex-president Bolsonaro has been serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons since last month, when he was rushed from prison to hospital with bronchopneumonia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of litigating to protect the right to vote, the division has focused on demanding unprecedented access to state voter rolls for reasons that remain opaque.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Grove said the agency’s justifications for consolidating offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, don’t make sense.—
Karl Hille,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The numbers and justifications don’t add up.—
Kristen Monsell,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While some of the women who came here willingly embraced ISIS ideology and passed it on to their children, many others say they were trafficked or lured to the region through ignorance or under false pretenses.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
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Court records said Dintaman, 47, pleaded guilty last October to one count each of conspiracy to commit false pretenses over $100,000, uttering and publishing, forgery and using a computer to commit a crime.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Maria allegedly provided various excuses for the delay.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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All of a sudden, whenever the topic came up, their once-legitimate concerns about the future of the planet were recast as hand-wavey excuses, Caroline’s career setbacks as golden opportunities for pregnancy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretexts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretexts. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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