Pretension (Noun)
Meaning 1
The advancing of a claim; "his pretension to the crown"; "the town still puts forward pretensions as a famous resort".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Related Words
Meaning 2
The quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false appearance of great importance or worth).
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 3
A false or unsupportable quality.
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Examples
- The artist's claims of being a revolutionary genius were nothing but pretension, as his work was largely unoriginal and lacking in depth.
- His pretension of being a wine connoisseur was quickly exposed when he couldn't even distinguish between a Merlot and a Cabernet.
- The politician's pretension of being a man of the people was ridiculous, given his luxurious lifestyle and elite upbringing.
- Her pretension of being a free-spirited artist was belied by her rigid adherence to traditional techniques and styles.
- The actor's pretension of being a serious method actor was undermined by his tendency to phone in his performances and coast on his good looks.