Definition of Pretense

Noun: pretense 'pree,ten(t)s or pri'ten(t)s
Usage: N. Amer (elsewhere: pretence)

The act of giving a false appearance
"his conformity was only pretense";
- pretence [Brit, Cdn], pretending, simulation, feigning
Pretending with intention to deceive
- pretence [Brit, Cdn], feigning, dissembling
Imaginative intellectual play
- pretence [Brit, Cdn], make-believe
A false or unsupportable quality
- pretension, pretence [Brit, Cdn]
An artful or simulated semblance
"under the pretense of friendship he betrayed them";
- guise, pretence [Brit, Cdn], pretext