The act of giving a false appearance
Noun
the act of giving a false appearance; "his conformity was only pretending"
Noun
an artful or simulated semblance; "under the guise of friendship he betrayed them"
Noun
a false or unsupportable quality
Noun
imaginative intellectual play
Noun
pretending with intention to deceive
a.
Alt. of Pretenceless
n.
The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption;
pretension.
n.
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 Caesar's death.
n.
That which is pretended; false, deceptive, or
hypocritical show, argument, or reason; pretext; feint.
n.
Intention; design.
Usage Examples
Others indeed may talk, and write, and fight about liberty, and make an outward pretence to it but the free-thinker alone is truly free.
In England, literary pretence is more universal than elsewhere from our method of education.
Misspelled FormPretence, Pretence, retence, Pretence, Peretence, P4retence, P5retence, Ptretence, Pfretence, Peetence, P4etence, P5etence, Ptetence, Pfetence, Preetence, Pr4etence, Pr5etence, Prtetence, Prfetence, Prwetence, Pr3etence, Pr4etence, Prretence, Prsetence, Prdetence, Prwtence, Pr3tence, Pr4tence, Prrtence, Prstence, Prdtence, Prewtence, Pre3tence, Pre4tence, Prertence, Prestence, Predtence, Prertence, Pre5tence, Pre6tence, Preytence, Pregtence, Prerence, Pre5ence, Pre6ence, Preyence, Pregence, Pretrence, Pret5ence, Pret6ence, Pretyence, Pretgence, Pretwence, Pret3ence, Pret4ence, Pretrence, Pretsence, Pretdence, Pretwnce, Pret3nce, Pret4nce, Pretrnce, Pretsnce, Pretdnce, Pretewnce, Prete3nce, Prete4nce, Preternce, Pretesnce, Pretednce, Pretebnce, Pretehnce, Pretejnce, Pretemnce, Prete nce, Pretebce, Pretehce, Pretejce, Pretemce, Prete ce, Pretenbce, Pretenhce, Pretenjce, Pretenmce, Preten ce, Pretenxce, Pretendce, Pretenfce, Pretenvce, Preten ce, Pretenxe, Pretende, Pretenfe, Pretenve, Preten e, Pretencxe, Pretencde, Pretencfe, Pretencve, Pretenc e, Pretencwe, Pretenc3e, Pretenc4e, Pretencre, Pretencse, Pretencde, Pretencw, Pretenc3, Pretenc4, Pretencr, Pretencs, Pretencd, Pretencew, Pretence3, Pretence4, Pretencer, Pretences, Pretenced.
Other Usage ExamplesIf we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.
Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretence of keeping it alive.
The Relation we bear to the Wisdom of the Father, the Son of His Love, gives us indeed a dignity which otherwise we have no pretence to. It makes us something, something considerable even in God's Eyes.