Meaning & use
pretence
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A false show or appearance intended to make people believe something that is not true.
Grammar: Can be countable (a pretence) or uncountable (without pretence); the verb is 'pretend'.
Patterns
- make a pretence of doing something
- keep up the pretence
- under the pretence of something
She made a pretence of reading the report during the meeting.
He kept up the pretence that everything was fine for years.
They entered the building under the pretence of delivering a parcel.
noununcountable
A claim to a quality, skill, or status, especially one that is not deserved.
Grammar: Mostly in fixed negative phrases: 'without pretence', 'have no pretence to something'.
Patterns
- without pretence
- have no pretence to something
Her manner is direct and completely without pretence.
He has no pretence to being an expert; he simply enjoys the subject.
Word forms
| plural | pretences |
|---|
Common combinations
- false pretences
- He obtained the money by false pretences, claiming to be a licensed builder.
- under the pretence of
- She left the office early under the pretence of a doctor's appointment.
- keep up/maintain the pretence
- Keeping up the pretence of a happy marriage exhausted them both.
- make a pretence of
- He made a pretence of checking his phone to avoid the question.
- without pretence
- The little café is warm, friendly, and entirely without pretence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pretension
- Pretension is the quality of claiming importance or refinement, usually in a person's character or style; pretence is the actual false show or act itself.
- affectation
- An affectation is a small artificial manner or habit adopted to impress others, narrower than a pretence, which can be a whole false situation.
- facade
- A facade is the pleasing outward appearance that hides the truth, used for people, buildings, or systems; pretence stresses the deliberate act of deceiving.
Opposites
Word family
- pretend verb
- To act as if something is true when it is not.
- pretension noun
- The claiming of importance, taste, or status.
- pretentious adjective
- Trying to appear more important or cultured than you really are.
- pretentiously adverb
- In a pretentious way.
Commonly confused: pretence or pretension?
pretence vs pretension
Pretence is the act of pretending or a false show, while pretension is a claim to importance. Remember: a person can be pretentious, not 'pretencious'.
Practice
He called in sick ___ the pretence of having the flu — really he wanted a day at the beach.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'under the pretence of', meaning 'while pretending'. 'Of' is tempting because the sentence continues with a noun, but 'of the pretence' alone is not the established expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pretence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.