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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretexts
Noun
-
Trump claimed without evidence that McEntarfer had manipulated statistics for political reasons.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025 -
Housing is one of the reasons anyone in tech will tell you that the industry is thriving in California largely in spite of regulations, not because of them.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The justifications for the slaughter which started out so white hot after October 7th have cooled now, become more immaterial and incoherent.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The justifications are endless, as are the streams of books and websites making the case.—
Naomi S. Baron,
The Conversation,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Harold is so clearly not a great man that his pretenses feel more like cries for help.—
Jeremy Gordon,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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They were arraigned on Friday in Brockton District Court on one count each of larceny over $1,200 by false pretenses, embezzlement, and conspiracy.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
That drug is known to metabolize into the identical psych profile an anabolic steroid will produce … Not making excuses or asking for a pass, just putting it out there as a detail that may have been confused with a laundry list of other potential suspects.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The 2025 Wi-Fi Extender turns every corner of your house into usable internet, no excuses.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pretexts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretexts. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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