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Definitions

pretense

[pri-tens, pree-tens] / prɪˈtɛns, ˈpri tɛns /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was instead dispensing with even the pretense that he was open to hearing the Obama administration’s arguments.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Shredded was the pretense that men’s Division I basketball and football players are amateurs—and the NCAA’s ability to regulate sports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

“It’s a terrible idea to move swiftly and not have the really complicated and challenging process that is required to actually work towards more than a superficial pretense of revisionist history,” Gudis said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

It is so strange to see serious people pretending to be doing serious work in this serious place, when all pretense of intellectual seriousness has fallen away.

From Slate • Dec. 17, 2025

It occurred to me that Joan, hearing where I was, had engaged a room at the asylum on pretense, simply as a joke.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath




Vocabulary lists containing pretense