pretense

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹiːtɛns/

The English word “pretense” has 6 meanings listed here.

noun

The action of pretending; false or simulated show or appearance; false or hypocritical assertion or representation.
Affectation or ostentation of manner.
Intention or purpose not real but professed.
An unsupported claim made or implied.
An insincere attempt to reach a specific condition or quality.
Intention; design.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French pretensse, from Late Latin praetēnsus, past participle of Latin praetendō (“to pretend”), from prae- (“before”) + tendō (“to stretch”); see pretend.

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More English words

pretendingly
pretendingness
Pretendolino
pretendress
pretensed
pretenseful
pretenseless
pretension

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.