Pre*tence" (?), n.,
Pre*tence"ful, a.,
Pre*tence"*less, a. See
Pretense, Pretenseful, Pretenseless.
{ Pre*tense", Pre*tence } (?),
n. [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus,
p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf.
Tension.] 1. The act of laying claim; the
claim laid; assumption; pretension. Spenser.
Primogeniture can not have any pretense to a
right of solely inheriting property or power.
Locke.
I went to Lambeth with Sir R. Brown's pretense
to the wardenship of Merton College, Oxford.
Evelyn.
2. The act of holding out, or offering, to
others something false or feigned; presentation of what is deceptive
or hypocritical; deception by showing what is unreal and concealing
what is real; false show; simulation; as, pretense of illness;
under pretense of patriotism; on pretense of revenging
Cæsar's death.
3. That which is pretended; false, deceptive,
or hypocritical show, argument, or reason; pretext; feint.
Let not the Trojans, with a feigned pretense
Of proffered peace, delude the Latian prince.
Dryden.
4. Intention; design. [Obs.]
A very pretense and purpose of
unkindness.
Shak.
&fist; See the Note under Offense.
Syn. -- Mask; appearance; color; show; pretext; excuse. --
Pretense, Pretext. A pretense is something held
out as real when it is not so, thus falsifying the truth. A
pretext is something woven up in order to cover or conceal
one's true motives, feelings, or reasons. Pretext is often, but
not always, used in a bad sense.
