pretense
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a way of behaving that hides your real feelings or the truth.
the act of pretending or a false representation intended to deceive or to hide one's true nature.
Simple“She kept up a pretense of being happy even though she was very sad.”
In context“The meeting was held under the pretense of a social gathering, though everyone knew the real purpose was to discuss the merger.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'under the pretense of'.
PitfallHe made a pretense to be rich. He made a pretense of being rich.The noun 'pretense' is usually followed by 'of' and a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a claim to have a certain skill or quality that you do not actually have.
a claim made or implied, especially one that is not supported by fact.
Simple“The prince had no real pretense to the throne after the revolution.”
In context“The document was a complete fabrication, created solely to support his pretense to the family estate.”
UsageOften used regarding legal or historical claims to power.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
behavior that is intended to impress people by acting more important than you are.
affectation or ostentation of manner; a lack of naturalness or sincerity in one's behavior.
Simple“I liked the small restaurant because it was simple and had no pretense.”
In context“The artist's work was refreshing for its lack of academic pretense, focusing instead on raw emotional impact.”
“Scammers worm their way into a victim’s heart to gain access to their money through false pretenses.”
Borrowed from Middle French pretensse, from Late Latin praetēnsus, past participle of Latin praetendō (“to pretend”), from prae- (“before”) + tendō (“to stretch”); see pretend.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.