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pretension |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Pretension \Pre*ten"sion\, n. [Cf. F. pr['e]tention. See {Pretend}, {Tension}.] 1. The act of pretending, or laying claim; the act of asserting right or title. The arrogant pretensions of Glengarry contributed to protract the discussion. --Macaulay. 2. A claim made whether true or false; a right alleged or assumed; a holding out the appearance of possessing a certain character; as pretensions to scholarship. This was but an invention and pretension given out by the Spaniards. --Bacon. Men indulge those opinions and practices that favor their pretensions. --L'Estrange. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: pretension n 1: a false or unsupportable quality [syn: {pretence}, {pretense}] 2: the quality of being pretentious (creating a false appearance of great importance or worth) [syn: {pretentiousness}] [ant: {unpretentiousness}]
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