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pretension Definition

pre·ten·sion (prē tens̸hən, pri-)

noun

  1. a pretext or allegation
  2. a claim, as to a right, title, distinction, etc.
  3. assertion of a claim
  4. pretentiousness; ostentation

Etymology: ML praetensio < praetensus: see pretense

pretension Synonyms

pretension

n.

  1. A claim

    assertion, demand, declaration; see claim.

  2. A pretense

    allegation, pretext, maintenance; see ostentation 2.

pretension Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • other: All thus wish to " secure themselves against the pretensions of others, to acquire for themselves advantages and superior rights.
  • man: Like Byron, Blake's first reaction to the pretensions of great men was to laugh out loud.
  • grandeur: It has no pretensions of grandeur - simply great food at great prices.
  • upwardly-mobile: This funny, cringe-inducing and ultimately shocking classic lays bare the pretensions of the upwardly-mobile in seventies Britain.
  • critic: Sixth: The experience of literary men and the history of literature are here in open conflict with the pretensions of the critics.

Converse of object

  • mock: Certainly a product of the colonial system, his short stories nonetheless mocked the pretensions of the Barbadian upper classes.
  • expose: Economic defeat, similar but much less intense than military defeat, always exposes the pretensions of rulers.
  • lack: He oozes talent while lacking pretension, improvisation is in his blood, and as a pianist, he is almost virtuosic.
  • have: Melksham once had pretensions of being a Spa town.
  • make: To what exactly did the night's plays make pretensions?

Adjective modifier

  • imperial: The jokes and puns come thick and fast as the Carry On team hilariously tear imperial pretensions to pieces.
  • artistic: Most people just want to read a good story, not get someone's artistic pretensions rammed down their throat.
  • literary: Also the name of an Oxford student magazine for those with literary pretensions.
  • intellectual: There is rarely any suggestion that the Celts might have maintained a culture of any intellectual pretension.
  • architectural: The buildings, as far as they have been excavated, have indications of architectural pretensions.
  • such: Henry no longer had any truck with such divine pretensions.

Noun used with modifier

  • sporting: These days, most cars with serious sporting pretensions have some sort of fancy complicated gearbox.
  • separatist: This state has had separatist pretensions in the past to become an independent republic due to its vast oil wealth.
  • rock: For all Bellamy ' s space rock pretensions, it's clearly Dave n ' Billie who've really influenced this album...
pretension Quotes

The pretension is nothing; the performance everything. A good apple is better than an insipid peach.

—Hunt, (James Henry) Leigh

Browse dictionary entries near pretension

  1. pretense
  2. pretending
  3. pretender
  4. pretended
  5. pretend
  6. pretence
  7. preteen
  8. pretax
  9. pret
  10. presuppose
  1. pretentious
  2. preter-
  3. preterhuman
  4. preterit
  5. preterition
  6. preterm
  7. pretermit
  8. pretermitted heir
  9. preternatural
  10. pretest