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pretension
1[pri-ten-shuhn]
noun
the laying of a claim to something.
Synonyms: ,a claim or title to something.
Often pretensions a claim made, especially indirectly or by implication, to some quality, merit, or the like.
They laughed at my pretensions to superior judgment.
a claim to dignity, importance, or merit.
pretentiousness.
Synonyms: , ,the act of pretending or alleging.
an allegation of doubtful veracity.
a pretext.
Synonyms:
pretension
2[pree-ten-shuhn]
verb (used with object)
(in prestressed-concrete construction) to apply tension to (reinforcing strands) before the concrete is poured; prestress.
to make (a concrete member) with pretensioned reinforcement.
pretension
/ ɪˈɛʃə /
noun
(often plural) a false or unsupportable claim, esp to merit, worth, or importance
a specious or unfounded allegation; pretext
the state or quality of being pretentious
Word History and Origins
Origin of pretension1
Origin of pretension2
Example Sentences
Total self-assurance is exactly how Sonny, like Pitt, gets away with his pretension.
Patti Smith’s music “verged on a parody of beat poetry,” while the vastly influential Velvet Underground, a band that made New York punk possible, is hobbled by its “pretensions to hipness, irony and amorality.”
Any pretension exhibited was earned with the grace of a batted eyelash and a knowing smirk.
The air of prestige and haughty pretension that surrounds even the mere mention of the Cannes Film Festival might not conjure the words “shark movie” in your mind.
The scene was very close-knit, and they didn’t have any pretension of getting signed to a major label or anything.
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