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.

For those of my generation who were fortunate enough to go to college, it did expose much of the pretense of higher education and made us admit as much.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Yet he did not muster even the pretense of evidence that they pose an “imminent threat.”

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026

Five days earlier, at around 7 a.m., the couple had crossed the border into Kazakhstan in a hired Toyota Hiace van, under the pretense of taking a vacation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

Admittedly, much of social life consists of maintaining a thin pretense of normality.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2025

What was needed—what Emily needed—was a woman emancipated from pretense, a woman who could show herself to be a man.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover