Pretence

Pronunciation: /prɪˈtɛns/

Definitions of pretence

noun a claim, especially a false or ambitious one

Example Sentences

A1 She smiled, but it was just a pretence to hide her sadness.

A2 He kept up the pretence of being interested in the conversation, even though he was bored.

B1 The politician's pretence of caring about the environment was quickly exposed as insincere.

B2 Despite her pretence of confidence, she was actually feeling quite nervous about the presentation.

C1 His pretence of ignorance was a clever tactic to avoid getting involved in the conflict.

C2 The elaborate pretence of the murder mystery party fooled even the most seasoned detectives.

Examples of pretence in a Sentence

formal She maintained the pretence of being interested in his conversation.

informal Stop with the pretence, we all know you're not really sick.

slang He's just putting on a pretence to get out of doing his chores.

figurative The smile on her face was just a pretence to hide her true feelings.

Grammatical Forms of pretence

• past tense: pretended
• plural: pretences
• comparative: more pretentious
• superlative: most pretentious
• present tense: pretends
• future tense: will pretend
• perfect tense: has pretended
• continuous tense: is pretending
• singular: pretence
• positive degree: pretentious
• infinitive: to pretend
• gerund: pretending
• participle: pretended

Origin and Evolution of pretence

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'pretence' originated from the Latin word 'praetendere' meaning 'to stretch forth, allege, pretend'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'pretence' has evolved to encompass the ideas of feigning or pretending, as well as the act of making false claims or assertions.