Pretence definition

prētens, pritens; prētens
pretences
See word origin
Frequency:
noun
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(British) An act of pretending or pretension; a false claim or pretext.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
pretence
Plural:
pretences

Origin of pretence

  • From Middle French pretensse, from Late Latin praetensus (prætensus) (past participle of praetendere (prætendere), prae- (præ-) + tendere).

    From Wiktionary

Pretence Sentence Examples

  • As a rule they make no real pretence of leading a religious life.

  • The following classification is simple and convenient; the list of alkaloids makes no pretence at being exhaustive.

  • The land was during this period threatened at once by the Ftimites from the west; the Nubians from the south, and the Carmathians from the east; when the second Ikshidi died in 965, Kfflr at first made a pretence of appointing his young son Abmad as his successor, but deemed it safer to assume the viceroyalty himself, setting an example which in Mameluke times was often followed.

  • Without a pretence of negotiation the French government declared on the 16th of November that the Scheldt was thenceforwards open.

  • He is convinced that virtue (where it is more than a mere pretence) is purely artificial; but not quite certain whether it is a useless trammel of appetites and passions that are advantageous to society, or a device creditable to the politicians who introduced it by playing upon the " pride and vanity " of the " silly creature man."

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