PRETENSES Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

pretenses

noun

variants or pretences

plural of pretense

as in facades

a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive her display of bravado was just a pretense

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in rights

an entitlement to something this book on gardening makes no pretense at completeness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pretenses Trimpey also faces a felony charge of obtaining money by false pretenses. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 Officials allege the group sold the oil under false pretenses and used the profits to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026 At school, Jin’s oldest daughter, Jane, teams up with a Black classmate, one of few, to expose their neighbors’ prejudices and pretenses. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Marks was also charged with obtaining property under false pretenses and misdemeanor larceny. — Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026 However, according to Ryan, Hernandez was a fraud, allegedly seeking money under false pretenses. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 18 June 2026 For all the Court’s pretenses—all of its insistence on the rule of law, precedent, and good faith—many critics and supporters of the Roberts Court see the institution as an appendage of the Republican Party. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 In the documentary, a man running the shelter, who identified himself as Charles Lubajja, tells the undercover reporters that the shelter exists primarily to make money from social media users abroad under false pretenses. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026 Fernando Navarro, 53, of Minneapolis, is facing four counts of felony fraud for collecting nearly $70,000 in funds from Minnesota's medical assistance program under false pretenses. — Riley Moser, CBS News, 23 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenses

Noun

Europe has long resisted air conditioning as noisy, an eyesore on architectural facades and unnecessary, as brutal summer heat has been relatively short-lived.

— Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 July 2026
But while Duval Street’s colorful facades and lively restaurants attract the crowds, the best seat in town is arguably offshore.

— Stephanie Orma, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of facades

Noun

The UConn Foundation will be looking for naming-rights revenue opportunities for the fields, which will allow the team to work outdoors more often.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
Carlson opted to test free agency and signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Ducks dealt his rights to the Carolina Hurricanes.

— Eric Stephens, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of rights

Noun

Footballing success, in differing guises, came a long time ago.

— Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Opponents of affirmative action, who suspect that the process is still continuing under other guises, could seek to replicate the winning strategy of the Harvard and UNC cases, if testing data show large, unexplainable gaps in academic preparation among different student groups.

— Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Definition of guises

Noun

Kunst said there were some undocumented claims of miraculous cures prior to when records of such occurrences would be kept, dating back to the 1950s.

— Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026
All claims were dismissed, and a hearing will be held on July 29 and 30 to hear arguments on any points of dispute.

— Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Definition of claims

Noun

She has been featured in various TV shows, including an English show called Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), and played Desdemona in Broadway’s Othello before retiring in the early 1980s, per the Walt Disney Archives.

— Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026
Of the 29 analysts covering AT & T, 14 have a hold on shares, while 15 have a buy or strong buy on the stock, LSEG data shows.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Definition of shows

Noun

The British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, who converted to Christianity late in his life, pointed out that Jesus’s entire ministry was directed against the pretensions of earthly power.

— Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Adley and his team make great tasting plates first and foremost, but some of the items, like the unmissable chicken wings stuffed with boudin blanc and romesco, act as a cheeky affront to haute cuisine’s pretensions and conventions.

— Colin Wrenn, Denver Post, 3 June 2026

Definition of pretensions

Noun

Williams-Ellis had a 90-minute session with Murray — who in 2013 became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title in 77 years — to work on poses.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
During the first morning of our stay, Sean led us in a morning stretch-and-breathe class that incorporates breath work and gentle yoga poses.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026

Definition of poses

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“Pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenses. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of pretenses

noun

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