pretence
Act put on
Pretence is the British spelling of pretense.
It covers the act of pretending—making something appear true when it isn't: She made no pretence of liking him.
A pretence can be a false claim or affectation: He dropped all pretence of civility.
The word also means a claim to skill or status, often with false implications: pretences to scholarship.
Lack of genuine feeling
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
- sanctimonyFeigned moral superiority
- two-facednessDeceitful pretense of friendship
- lip serviceInsincere expression of agreement
crocodile tears · empty promises · disingenuousness · falseness · phoniness · fraudulence · humbug · pietism
Decorative outer layer
- guiseExternal manner shown
- frontForward-facing side
- showMake something apparent
- appearanceOutward visible form
semblance · mask · cloak · disguise · cover · posturing · affectation · airs
Insincere dramatic performance
- actingTemporarily holding position
- feigningPretending to feel something
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
skit · roleplay · impersonation · mimicry · dramatization · put-on · simulation · make-believe
Fraudulent imitation
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
guile · subterfuge · trickery · con · fake · imposture · artifice · dissembling
Defense of location
- justificationReason proving rightness
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- cover storyFalse explanation for actions
- pleaFormal request or defense
evasion · cop-out · dodge · cover-up · fabrication · invention · concoction · make-believe
Confident statement of fact
- professionTrained occupational field
- allegationAssertion lacking proof
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
- declarationFormal public announcement
affirmation · avowal · purporting · representation · protestation · false claim
Imaginative mental wandering
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- fictionImagined narrative work
- figmentImagined thing, unreal
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
unreality · make-believe · daydream · wishful thinking · self-deception · pipe dream · castle in the air · fool's paradise
insincerity
Lack of genuine feeling
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
- sanctimonyFeigned moral superiority
- two-facednessDeceitful pretense of friendship
lip service · crocodile tears · empty promises · disingenuousness · falseness · phoniness · fraudulence · humbug · pietism · tartuffery
veneer
Decorative outer layer
appearance · semblance · mask · cloak · disguise · cover · posturing · affectation · airs · pose
playacting
Insincere dramatic performance
- actingTemporarily holding position
- feigningPretending to feel something
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
pantomime · skit · roleplay · impersonation · mimicry · dramatization · put-on · simulation · make-believe · theatrics
sham
Fraudulent imitation
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
duplicity · guile · subterfuge · trickery · con · fake · imposture · artifice · dissembling · counterfeit
alibi
Defense of location
- justificationReason proving rightness
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- cover storyFalse explanation for actions
plea · evasion · cop-out · dodge · cover-up · fabrication · invention · concoction · make-believe · false claim
assertion
Confident statement of fact
- professionTrained occupational field
- allegationAssertion lacking proof
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
declaration · affirmation · avowal · purporting · representation · protestation · false claim
fantasy
Imaginative mental wandering
chimera · unreality · make-believe · daydream · wishful thinking · self-deception · pipe dream · castle in the air · fool's paradise
pretencesincerity
Honest, unfeigned genuineness
genuineness · authenticity · realness · truthfulness · honesty
pretencecandour
Honest, direct expression
frankness · honesty · openness · forthrightness · directness
- let's pretend
- false pretensesDeceptive claims for gain
- false pretenceDeliberate misrepresentation to deceive
- pretend not to see
- pretend playImaginative childhood roleplay
- The PretenderFalse claimant to throne
pretend, pretended, pretending, pretense, pretentious, pretender, pretension, unpretentious, pretenses