pretence Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. noun a false or unsupportable quality
   pretension; pretense.
   
2. noun an artful or simulated semblance
   guise; pretense; pretext.
   
   • under the guise of friendship he betrayed them
3. noun pretending with intention to deceive
   pretense; dissembling; feigning.
   
4. noun imaginative intellectual play
   pretense; make-believe.
   
5. noun the act of giving a false appearance
   feigning; pretense; pretending; simulation.
   
   • his conformity was only pretending

WordNet