pretense

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French pretensse, from Late Latin praetēnsus, past participle of Latin praetendō (“to pretend”), from prae- (“before”) + tendō (“to stretch”); see pretend.

noun

  1. (US) A false or hypocritical profession
    under pretense of friendliness
  2. Intention or purpose not real but professed.
    with only a pretense of accuracy
  3. An unsupported claim made or implied.
  4. An insincere attempt to reach a specific condition or quality.

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