variants
or pretences
1
as in facades
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
her display of bravado was just a pretense
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rights
an entitlement to something
this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pretenses
Johnson eventually pleaded no contest to three counts of false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.
—
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Toronto might be considered the New York City of Canada, but Bo Bichette is under no pretenses that playing for the Blue Jays is comparable to playing for one of the baseball teams in the Big Apple.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Aurora Municipal Court Judge Brian Whitney issued an order last year pausing more than 300 cases in which attorneys challenged issues under the same pretenses as those before the Supreme Court.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
They were booked into Contra Costa County jail on charges of grand theft of an animal, theft by false pretenses and conspiracy.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in a May report that women from more than 20 African countries had been recruited under false pretences to make drones for Russia’s war.
—Reuters 16 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The audience meets Charles, who is completing yet another stint in jail, this time for false pretenses and evading arrest.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Did Gacy’s attorney, Sam Amirante, agree to represent him on false pretenses and later struggle to be his lawyer?
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Toronto might be considered the New York City of Canada, but Bo Bichette is under no pretenses that playing for the Blue Jays is comparable to playing for one of the baseball teams in the Big Apple.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Aurora Municipal Court Judge Brian Whitney issued an order last year pausing more than 300 cases in which attorneys challenged issues under the same pretenses as those before the Supreme Court.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
They were booked into Contra Costa County jail on charges of grand theft of an animal, theft by false pretenses and conspiracy.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in a May report that women from more than 20 African countries had been recruited under false pretences to make drones for Russia’s war.
—Reuters 16 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The audience meets Charles, who is completing yet another stint in jail, this time for false pretenses and evading arrest.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
Did Gacy’s attorney, Sam Amirante, agree to represent him on false pretenses and later struggle to be his lawyer?
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenses
Noun
-
Because authenticity weighs less than facades.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Street art from Latino/a and Indigenous painters covers more and more facades every day.—
Lizbeth Scordo,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Arkansas Supreme Court has a unique role as the defender of the rights particular to Arkansans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The real purpose of the campaign was to draw attention to the violation of Japanese Americans’ Constitutional rights.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Both marques returned to the competition this year in new guises.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Populism in all its guises surfaces problems but rarely solves them.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Those who make these claims apparently haven't been paying much attention these past four years, in particular to which side (hint, Russia) has been forced to shed most of that blood.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Tenuous evidence of mass exodus Sensor Tower’s user data more fundamentally seems to suggest that beyond anecdotal claims, users have largely been unable to identify tangible changes in TikTok’s American operations, or at least, not enough to meaningfully shift user sentiment.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Nobody, that is, apart from the nearly 50 million people in the United States who speak Spanish fluently — along with the countless viewers who didn’t need words to catch the vibe of a performance that will go down as one of the most memorable, impactful halftime shows of all time.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Pop singer Demi Lovato has canceled five shows on their upcoming tour, including a Ball Arena concert, and pushed back the start date due to concerns about their health.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The nation was to be purged of continual sin not indeed all of its own doing—due partly to its inheritance; and yet a sin, a negation that gave the world the right to sneer at the pretensions of this republic.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
This action comedy is audacious in portraying the pretensions of show business.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This twist allowed fans to vote on 11 key categories throughout the game, including the colors of the tribes, how many twists and challenges there will be and others, and those who voted will not know the results of the votes until the show airs.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The matchup airs on FDSDET and TSN.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Which means the deepest challenge AI poses may not be to jobs at all.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In a Wednesday note, analysts at the bank acknowledged very real risks that generative AI poses to traditional software companies, including the threat of new tools and newer competition, which pressure prices.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenses. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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