pretense
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.
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Any pretense at acceptance has long been discarded.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge this—most people prefer to keep up the pretense that all families have tight, loving relationships—but it’s the reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
He’s too busy feathering his own nest while laughing off any pretense of ethical behavior.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
It was like a professional wrestling rivalry in which everyone cheers for either the hero or the heel, only there was no pretense to this one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Orr asked with a pretense of pensive curiosity.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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
This time around, there are no more pretenses.
From Salon ● May 9, 2025
And yet he felt guilty, knowing that he was accepting the kid’s admiration under false pretenses, that he wasn’t cool at all, not at all.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
Vocabulary lists containing pretense
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 1
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 2
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