How to Use pretense in a Sentence
pretense
noun
- We tried to keep up the pretense that everything was fine.
- Their indifference is merely pretense.
-
All the veil is off now about the pretense of what this was about.
—
Foreign Affairs,
17 July 2023
-
In prison and court, there was never any pretense about the nature of the crime.
—
Allison McCann,
New York Times,
16 July 2022
-
Yet the film barely musters the pretense that any of this matters.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2023
-
But the French and British air forces began to run out of bombs, and that pretense fell away.
—
Dexter Filkins,
The New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2019
-
Why does Putin feel the need to put out these weird pretenses?
—
Mary Ilyushina,
Washington Post,
5 Oct. 2023
-
From the time before the Olympic movement was stripped of pretense.
—
Ann Killion,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Feb. 2022
-
It’s been seven years since there’s been even a pretense of a peace process.
—
Hadar Susskind,
Time,
16 June 2021
-
The Rances described the Vineyard as the Hamptons without the pretense.
—
Helena Andrews-Dyer,
Washington Post,
20 Aug. 2022
-
Enough with the pretense that Kenley Jansen is still the Dodgers’ closer.
—
Dylan Hernández Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Dec. 2020
-
But as racy as the video is, fans are under no pretense that the two are in the throes of gay puppy love.
—
Alex Hawgood,
New York Times,
24 Oct. 2020
-
Very personal, not a lot of ego, not a lot of pretense.
—
Todd Gilchrist,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2023
-
But in his youth lies the reason for anonymity and pretense, Hoback claims.
—
Joel Khalili,
WIRED,
22 Oct. 2024
-
As the hours ticked by in the stuffy room where we were being held, many gave up even a pretense of masking.
—
Stephanie Nolen,
New York Times,
13 Dec. 2021
-
Above all, these pieces should be easy to wear without pretense.
—
Felicity Carter,
Forbes,
16 May 2022
-
No pretense here, just good hearty food—a perfect cap on a weekend chock full of the same.
—
David Jefferys,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Aug. 2019
-
This year, Newsom abandoned any State of the State pretense.
—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2023
-
Club has already tossed all pretense of PR this year. 2.
—
John Shea,
SFChronicle.com,
29 Apr. 2020
-
There is no pretense that things are normal or will be any time soon.
—
Ann Killion,
SFChronicle.com,
30 Mar. 2020
-
But for all the pretense of transparency, Facebook rarely walks the talk.
—
Ananya Bhattacharya,
Quartz,
6 Oct. 2021
-
Last year, Newsom abandoned any State of the State pretense.
—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2024
-
This thing, the funeral of their father, would be a pretense.
—
Graham Swift,
The New Yorker,
14 Nov. 2022
-
What is new is that Trump appears to have abandoned any pretense of being on the same side.
—
Katrin Bennhold,
BostonGlobe.com,
7 June 2020
-
The team brings Beck in under the pretense of getting Sandra's friends to help talk to her hologram.
—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
7 Dec. 2021
-
Brade is a Christian and there are no pretenses about his faith.
—
Mike Preston,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2024
-
Under the pretense of going to the bathroom, Dunne escaped out the window and took off in her car, which Sweeney jumped the hood of.
—
Rebecca Aizin,
Peoplemag,
23 Sep. 2024
-
Due to the age of this classic, let there be no pretense the next few sentences contain any spoilers.
—
al,
3 Dec. 2020
-
This pretense—like the episode with the monsters letting out the animals—shows a whole new level of cunning on the monsters’ part.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
13 Oct. 2024
-
The decision signaled the end of the pretense that military aid afforded the United States meaningful leverage on democracy and human rights.
—
Michael Wahid Hanna,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Nov. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Last Updated:
