pretence
UK /pɹɪˈtɛns/ · US /ˈpɹiːtɛns/ noun
Also a form of pretense
Forms pretences pretense prætence
Synonyms
pretension pretense guise pretext feigning dissembling make-believe pretending simulation
Etymology
LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.
Webster’s 1913
- noun See Pretense, Pretenseful, Pretenseless.
- noun The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension.
- noun The act of holding out, or offering, to others something false or feigned; presentation of what is deceptive or hypocritical; deception by showing what is unreal and concealing what is real; false show; simulation; as, pretense of illness; under pretense of patriotism; on pretense of revenging Cæsar's death.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pretence”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details