Pretense
WordNet

noun


(1)   The act of giving a false appearance
"His conformity was only pretending"
(2)   An artful or simulated semblance
"Under the guise of friendship he betrayed them"
(3)   A false or unsupportable quality
(4)   Imaginative intellectual play
(5)   Pretending with intention to deceive
WiktionaryText

Alternative spellings

  • pretence (Only correct spelling in the UK, Irish Republic, and Commonwealth countries, and historical use in the United States)

Etymology


From < , past participle of < + ; see pretend.

Noun



  1. A false or hypocritical profession, as, under pretense of friendliness; sham, pretext, claim; an effort to give some appearance or mislead.
    without pretense of accuracy

Synonyms


Related terms

 
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