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.

Kenyon’s dig at “uproarious pedantry” nods to James’s intellectual pretensions, which some courtiers derided—even though a learned monarch seems preferable to an ignorant one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Reflecting on the press, he later noted, "The press has pretensions of being a crusader but is more often a preserver of the status quo."

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025

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

Nauman’s, however, is refreshingly without illusions or pretensions.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025

Did the chicken precede the egg, or vice versa? pretensions.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner