pretenses

Meanings

• noun

  The act of feigning or making false show; hypocrisy.

  - "His pretenses of love were exposed when she found out about his affair."
  - "Despite his pretenses, the thief was caught stealing."

• noun

  A reason or explanation given, typically an unjustified or insincere one.

  - "Her pretenses for missing work were not convincing."
  - "His pretenses for not attending the party were a lie."

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Synonyms

affectation , deception , escape , false pretense , fiction , imitation , pretext , sham , subterfuge

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Rhymes

Words rhyming with pretenses
pretend , lend , send , mend

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Variants

List of all variants of pretenses that leads to same result
pretence , pretences , pretense , pretenses , on false pretenses , on/under false pretenses , under false pretenses

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Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

From Old French 'pretens', present participle of 'pretendre' meaning 'to claim, to promise'.

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Trivia

Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

1. The word 'pretenses' comes from the Old French word 'pretens', which means 'to claim' or 'to promise'.

2. The term 'pretenses' is often used in legal contexts to refer to the reasons given by a defendant for committing a crime.

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Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. hypocrisy: The practice of claiming to have virtues, beliefs, or principles that one does not actually possess, especially publicly.

2. deception: The act of causing someone to believe something that is not true, through lies, trickery, or other means.

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Culture

Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

In literature, pretenses are often used to explore themes of deception, hypocrisy, and human nature. For example, in Shakespeare's 'Othello', Othello's jealousy and subsequent actions are driven by his own pretenses and misunderstandings.

How to Memorize "pretenses"

1. visualize
   

   - Visualize the act of putting on a false show or pretending to be something you're not.
   - Imagine yourself in a situation where you're using pretenses to hide the truth.

2. associate
   

   - Associate the word 'pretenses' with the idea of a mask or a facade.
   - Think of the word 'hypocrisy' and how it relates to pretenses.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Create a mnemonic by remembering the word 'pretenses' as 'promise to deceive'.

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