variants
or pretence
1
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
she seemed to be a very down-to-earth woman who was completely free of pretense
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in airs
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
her display of bravado was just a pretense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in claim
an entitlement to something
this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
the pretense of that woman in thinking that the other hotel guests should be inconvenienced just for her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pretense
Unfortunately, the modernizing premise – aside from the de rigueur costumes and odd laptop, more pretense than premise – seriously impacts the emotional punch of the ending.
—
Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2025
No pretense, just genuine passion for scent and storytelling.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 14 Mar. 2025
No pretense, just genuine passion for scent and storytelling.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 14 Mar. 2025
For more about how to instruct generative AI on doing pretenses, also known as personas, see my discussion at the link here.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretense
Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2025
No pretense, just genuine passion for scent and storytelling.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 14 Mar. 2025
No pretense, just genuine passion for scent and storytelling.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 14 Mar. 2025
For more about how to instruct generative AI on doing pretenses, also known as personas, see my discussion at the link here.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretense
Noun
-
Ivy-as-Marilyn is an inconsiderate, amphetamine guzzling faux-intellectual whose devotion to the acting craft is presented as a vainglorious affectation.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The interaction between Briony and Jamie starts off amiably, with Jamie needling Briony for her posh affectations.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Martin says that makes Molly and Tom's claim of self-defense a tough sell.—
Maureen Maher,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2025
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The proposal also appears to call for the United States to recognize Russia's claim on Crimea, a region of Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Solskjaer felt that overconfidence bordering on arrogance might be PSG’s Achilles’ heel.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Titan: Plunges into the chilling 2023 submersible tragedy, peeling back the layers of ambition, arrogance, and a lack of oversight that led to catastrophe.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Their pretensions are witheringly lampooned in this comic thriller about Ronnie, a Pakistani American who tags along to the desert enclave with her friend turned life coach, Marley.—
Calum Marsh,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
-
By contrast, Vito—Genovese, that is, not Corleone—pushes drugs aggressively, resorts to violence early and often, and scoffs at any pretensions of legitimacy, especially given the legalized thuggery of the politicians with whom Frank has curried favor.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In a world wired for hustle, that choice becomes a radical act of self-respect.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Monkeys were introduced for the 1904 season and a popular touring act called the High Diving Elks, which featured elks trained to jump from heights of more than 20 feet into a water tank.—
Jeremy Drouin,
Kansas City Star,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
With the Soviet Union’s collapse, the United States enjoyed a margin of superiority that would have been unimaginable to earlier great powers.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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Will this Lucid’s obvious superiority from a rational perspective be able to offset the minivan-esque styling?—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Most significantly, the wealthy Ratliff family (played on the show by Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, and co), were recast as President Donald Trump and his family, in a riff on the current tariff situation.—
Rebecca Cope,
Vogue,
14 Apr. 2025
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Abby’s Motivations – Last night, players saw that the show was saying right away that Abby was a Firefly and was angry at Joel for all his murders at the hospital, decimating the entire organization.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Even under the assumption Aaron Rodgers finally drops the charade and signs, the Steelers need to make some sort of effort to secure a young quarterback.—
Derrik Klassen,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Courts generally proceed on the assumption that government officials have acted properly.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretense. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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