pretense

Any pretense at acceptance has long been discarded.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

But with the documentary, we just were open and there was no pretense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Eschewing any pretense of modesty, he says the Kennedy decision was a dead letter.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

Argentina long ago abandoned any pretense of being a soccer workers’ collective, while Scaloni ditched any pretense that he was really in charge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Like a pretense of what I thought it should be.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

States have resorted to Rube Goldberg-like schemes to obtain drugs from abroad, sometimes under false pretenses, or have used drugs that are expired or improperly stored.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Barofsky said Fain declared under false pretenses that Boyer had been derelict in his duties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

But that news is tempered by the drumbeat of reports from the other end of the airport, where scores of arriving travelers have been detained in frightening conditions and under flimsy pretenses.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2025

“Not every spy is to your flavor of monogamy,” Kathryn tells George when he organizes a dinner party to begin sniffing out the mole under false pretenses.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025

“I suppose we all come under false pretenses one way or another, don’t we? It was best not to tell me. I probably wouldn’t have let you in.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline