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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in claim
an entitlement to something
this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness
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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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretense
Theft by false pretenses: Between midnight on June 1 and noon on Sept. 16, someone contacted a Saratoga resident via social media claiming to work as a financial investor and instructed the victim to send several bank transfers with a total loss of $1.2 million.
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Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
Therein lies the other critical element of the equation: a lack of pretense and fuss which does not forsake sophistication.
—Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024
Legislation against sagging—modern morality ordinances, passed in municipalities in states such as New Jersey, Illinois, and Michigan, and across the South—became a possible pretense for arrests.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2024
Theft by false pretenses: Between midnight on June 1 and noon on Sept. 16, someone contacted a Saratoga resident via social media claiming to work as a financial investor.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretense 
Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
Therein lies the other critical element of the equation: a lack of pretense and fuss which does not forsake sophistication.
—Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024
Legislation against sagging—modern morality ordinances, passed in municipalities in states such as New Jersey, Illinois, and Michigan, and across the South—became a possible pretense for arrests.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2024
Theft by false pretenses: Between midnight on June 1 and noon on Sept. 16, someone contacted a Saratoga resident via social media claiming to work as a financial investor.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretense
Noun
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At 71, his only other visible rock-star affectations are a gold stud in one ear and a black beaded bracelet on his left wrist.Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024
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His eccentricities — once easily dismissed as the affectations of a lonely man — read maniacal.Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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After all, top athletes regularly use ice baths, and there are countless studies to back up its proponents’ claims.Audrey Noble, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2024
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However, the judge rejected James’ claim in the lawsuit that alleged SiriusXM had engaged in fraud and deception by misleading subscribers seeking to cancel their accounts.Todd Spangler, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This can help alleviate concerns about potential arrogance or difficulty in adjusting to team dynamics. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.Jack Kelly, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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She's paired up with Xeni (voiced by Richard Ayoade), a daydream director looking to move up into the big leagues of nighttime dreams but has a lot of artistic arrogance.Christian Holub, EW.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The upshot: a $190-million (some reports place the budget closer to $200 million) jukebox musical with seeming art-house pretensions whose odds of justifying its cost now seem remote.Chris Lee, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2024
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The past month in Lebanon, like the past year in Gaza, has demonstrated that Israel’s leaders have no idealistic pretensions about establishing a new political order in Lebanon or in the Strip.Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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However, this act of vulnerability is also an opportunity to reclaim personal power as the author of one’s own story.Mark Travers, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
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Listen to a Live Radio Show The historic Rex Theater welcomes local, regional, and national old-time musical acts.Erin Gifford, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The film explores how the extremists combine violence, threatened or actual, with sophisticated social media campaigns to bring their pseudoscientific claims of racial superiority to the mainstream.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
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The wholesale engulfing of the myth of white superiority is what makes that kind of violence.Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Rose is now hosting an interview show on YouTube where his recent guests have included author Michael Lewis and broadcaster Bob Costas.CBS News, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2024
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The rugby player, a social media star who had many passionate supporters throughout the competition show's 33rd season, and her partner Alan Bersten were runners up in Tuesday's finale, while Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson took the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy.Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
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That assumption has led some health-care providers to exaggerate the addictive risk of drugs such as Valium and Klonopin, which are used to treat anxiety, among other things.Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 29 Nov. 2024
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The entire thesis is predicated on a few assumptions.Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pretense
Cite this Entry
“Pretense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretense. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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