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pretending

   Also found in: Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
pre·tend  (pr-tnd)
v. pre·tend·ed, pre·tend·ing, pre·tends
v.tr.
1. To give a false appearance of; feign: "You had to pretend conformity while privately pursuing high and dangerous nonconformism" (Anthony Burgess).
2. To claim or allege insincerely or falsely; profess: doesn't pretend to be an expert.
3. To represent fictitiously in play; make believe: pretended they were on a cruise.
4. To take upon oneself; venture: I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong.
v.intr.
1. To feign an action or character, as in play.
2. To put forward a claim.
3. To make pretensions: pretends to gourmet tastes.
adj. Informal
Imitation; make-believe: pretend money; pretend pearls.

[Middle English pretenden, from Old French pretendre, from Latin praetendere : prae-, pre- + tendere, to extend; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.pretendingpretending - the act of giving a false appearance; "his conformity was only pretending"
dissimulation, deception, dissembling, deceit - the act of deceiving
show, appearance - pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression; "they try to keep up appearances"; "that ceremony is just for show"
pretend, make-believe - the enactment of a pretense; "it was just pretend"
affectation, affectedness, mannerism, pose - a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
masquerade - making a false outward show; "a beggar's masquerade of wealth"


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
His master one day, pretending to be angry and shaking his stick at him, said, "You wretched little sluggard
I was beginning to be bored with a tragedy that did not really concern me, and pretending to myself that I spoke in order to distract Stroeve, I turned with relief to other subjects.
The pardon she wanted was for pretending to her daughter that women should act thus.
 
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