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pretense

[pri-tens, pree-tens] / prɪˈtɛns, ˈpri tɛns /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was instead dispensing with even the pretense that he was open to hearing the Obama administration’s arguments.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Pitino has made a smooth transition to college basketball’s wild new order, in which the pretense of amateurism has been abandoned and the transfer portal reshapes the roster every 12 months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Yet he did not muster even the pretense of evidence that they pose an “imminent threat.”

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026

She had been through life’s fires and knew that when it’s a fit, it should not be based on any false pretense.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

History is a cumulative record of success and failure, and the pretense that it can be something other than that is a peculiar shibboleth of historical writing over the last fifty years.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton




Vocabulary lists containing pretense


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