pretense

“We sincerely hope that this review is not merely a pretense for removing California’s ability to hold public hearings on offshore oil and gas projects,” said Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the Coastal Commission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Rubio added that the Nicaraguan leader and his wife, Rosario Murillo, whom Ortega named as his "co-president" in February 2025, had "abandoned even the pretense of popular consent".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

In the film’s staggering final moments, Spielberg sheds every remaining pretense for the sake of one last plea.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

It differed from a bullfight in that there was no element of skill or pretense of two equally matched opponents.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Jiaying Chen, 33, admitted to one count of bigamy and one count of obtaining money under false pretenses in a plea agreement filed in Clark County District Court on Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Both suspects were arrested following the search and now face multiple felony charges, including grand theft, receiving stolen property and theft by false pretenses, according to authorities.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

It helps, too, that, by the nature of the film’s long-winded narrative structure, we’re able to witness the pretenses between Mary and Sam slowly fall away.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026

Her mom had never put up any pretenses about being overly religious.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson