pretence
British standard spelling of pretenseBritish standard spelling of pretense.
» He couldn't keep up the pretence for very long.
Er konnte den Schein nicht allzulange wahren. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
sundown · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(countable, uncountable)British standard spelling of pretense.
- the act of giving a false appearance
- imaginative intellectual play
- pretending with intention to deceive
- an artful or simulated semblance
Examples
5 sentencesHe couldn't keep up the pretence for very long.
deEr konnte den Schein nicht allzulange wahren. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
She wears too much perfume and eyeshadow under the pretence of being mysterious.
It's just a pretence.
deDas sind nur Potemkinsche Dörfer. — al_ex_an_der
You must confine yourself to your room, on pretence of a headache, when your stepfather comes back.
He has not gotten in touch with me for a long time under the pretence of being busy.
deEr ist lange nicht mit mir in Kontakt getreten unter dem Vorwand, beschäftigt zu sein. — Alois
Forms
plural: pretencesSynonyms
9 synonyms- the act of giving a false appearance:pretensepretendingsimulationfeigning
- imaginative intellectual play:pretensemake-believe
- pretending with intention to deceive:pretensefeigningdissembling
- an artful or simulated semblance:guisepretensepretext
- a false or unsupportable quality:pretensionpretense
Lessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable