pretensions

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.

“Fuze” was one of my favorite treats at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival, although unlike many of the other films it premiered alongside, it has no pretensions of being an awards contender.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

And directors Bailey and Barbato seem intent on casting Louisville as a place of poseurs and pretensions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

In 1956, shortly before his death, Mencken went even further; “American journalism is predominantly paltry and worthless. Its pretensions are enormous, but its achievements are insignificant.”

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025

The film within the film, which occupies an entire episode, allows for some familiar jabs at Hollywood types, practices and pretensions — and the less familiar plight of the Asian actor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2024

The big house on the corner was sadder and older than I had remembered, and looked absurd, with its architectural eccentricities, its pretensions to French style, its facade covered with diseased ivy.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende