From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pretense \Pre*tense"\, Pretence \Pre*tence\, n. [LL. praetensus,
for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See {Pretend}, and
cf. {Tension}.]
1. The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption;
pretension. --Spenser.
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Primogeniture can not have any pretense to a right
of solely inheriting property or power. --Locke.
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I went to Lambeth with Sir R. Brown's pretense to
the wardenship of Merton College, Oxford. --Evelyn.
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2. The act of holding out, or offering, to others something
false or feigned; presentation of what is deceptive or
hypocritical; deception by showing what is unreal and
concealing what is real; false show; simulation; as,
pretense of illness; under pretense of patriotism; on
pretense of revenging C[ae]sar's death.
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3. That which is pretended; false, deceptive, or hypocritical
show, argument, or reason; pretext; feint.
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Let not the Trojans, with a feigned pretense
Of proffered peace, delude the Latian prince.
--Dryden.
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4. Intention; design. [Obs.]
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A very pretense and purpose of unkindness. --Shak.
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Note: See the {Note} under {Offense}.
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Syn: Mask; appearance; color; show; pretext; excuse.
Usage: {Pretense}, {Pretext}. A pretense is something held
out as real when it is not so, thus falsifying the
truth. A pretext is something woven up in order to
cover or conceal one's true motives, feelings, or
reasons. Pretext is often, but not always, used in a
bad sense.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
pretense
n 1: the act of giving a false appearance; "his conformity was
only pretending" [syn: {pretense}, {pretence},
{pretending}, {simulation}, {feigning}]
2: pretending with intention to deceive [syn: {pretense},
{pretence}, {feigning}, {dissembling}]
3: imaginative intellectual play [syn: {pretense}, {pretence},
{make-believe}]
4: a false or unsupportable quality [syn: {pretension},
{pretense}, {pretence}]
5: an artful or simulated semblance; "under the guise of
friendship he betrayed them" [syn: {guise}, {pretense},
{pretence}, {pretext}]
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