1
2
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
a woman full of pretension and pompousness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in affectation
the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case
the pretension of that French restaurant is more than I can bear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in purpose
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
has serious pretensions of becoming a writer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 pretension
Rabelais points out that there are oddities in the world that cannot fit into any classification scheme, more things in our heaven and earth than are dreamt of in either the medieval pretensions of the summa or the ambitious early modern bibliographic machines.
—
Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 27 Dec. 2024
So often a potential title decider, the only team here that have title pretensions are Liverpool.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
There’s no pretension or judgment here, but nearly everything is pleasing to the eye.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2025
Before Trump, Tokyo spent less than one percent of GDP on defense, an astonishingly low figure for a state adjacent to China and with great-power pretensions.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for pretension
Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 27 Dec. 2024
So often a potential title decider, the only team here that have title pretensions are Liverpool.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
There’s no pretension or judgment here, but nearly everything is pleasing to the eye.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2025
Before Trump, Tokyo spent less than one percent of GDP on defense, an astonishingly low figure for a state adjacent to China and with great-power pretensions.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for pretension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretension
Noun
-
While his Hybrid sets, which are impressive in their own rights, are a combination of him DJing and using electronic components, his Evolution performance is a live set with no DJing whatsoever.—
Lisa Kocay,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The photographer, quite understandably, sent me close-up images of the painting’s frontal surface, photographed from the right.—
Sarah K. Rich,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Most are due to unnecessary escalation, creating disengagement, authoritative behaviors, arrogance and ego.—
Joao Mendes-Roter,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Musk’s casual Friday attire just shows his arrogance and disrespect for American government.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Slumming with her sister in San Francisco after her life with her Madoff-like ex in New York implodes, Jasmine Francis isn't quite willing to let go of the affectations that come with living in high society.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
More than this perhaps, as Sara Halpern, visiting assistant professor of history at St. Olaf college, wrote to me, the attack had a broader purpose.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The purpose of the show was to reach across the aisle and form connections between un-like-minded people.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The hypocrisies of what might be called humanity’s delusions of superiority suggest the need for deeper questioning.—
Billy J. Stratton,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2025
-
His superiority was self-evident, like the rays of the sun.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Trump Administration has significantly weakened America's national security infrastructure under the false pretense of government efficiency, by reducing staffing at the Departments of Defense and State, FBI, CIA, USAID, and others despite increasing global threats.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
TIME,
24 Mar. 2025
-
The Trump administration’s harrowing detention of Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil — and the broader repression of student activism on campuses across the country — is being sold to the public under the false pretense of ensuring Jewish safety.—
Adam Jaffe,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
How to Eat Fruit for Weight Loss If weight loss is your goal, simply adding fruit won't be helpful.—
Ann Pietrangelo,
Verywell Health,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The second of those was goal number two, another type of move that a back five is set up to defend against.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Thankfully, the other two judges have an idea how to properly judge a mixed martial arts fight and the right man got the win.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Dolly Parton’s cookbook, Good Lookin’ Cookin’, is filled with a year's worth of classic recipes and menu ideas.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretension. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share