pretensions

noun

the quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false appearance of great importance or worth)

the advancing of a claim

a false or unsupportable quality

Roots

praepre- · Latin · before, in front tendo-tens · Latin · stretch

Synonyms & related words for pretensions

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Words related to pretensions

Explore words related to pretensions — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include pretentiousness, pretense, unpretendingly, arrogative, pseudery, pomposity, pompousness, affectation. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does pretensions come from?

The word pretensions breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: pre-, from Latin prae (“before, in front”); and -tens, from Latin tendo (“stretch”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.