A very pretense and purpose of unkindness.
Shak.
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.
Pre*tensed" (?), a. Pretended; feigned. [Obs.] -- Pre*tens"ed*ly (#),
adv. [Obs.]
Pre*tense"ful (?), a. Abounding in pretenses.
Pre*tense"less, a. Not having or making pretenses.
Pre*ten"sion (?), n. [Cf. F. prÈtention. 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.
Pre*ten"ta*tive (?), a. [Pref. pre- + tentative: cf. L. praetentare to
try beforehand.] Fitted for trial beforehand; experimental. [R.] Sir H.
Wotton.
Pre*ten"tious (?), a. [Cf. F. prÈtentieux. See Pretend.] Full of
pretension; disposed to lay claim to more than is one's; presuming;
assuming. -- Pre*ten"tious*ly, adv. - - Pre*ten"tious*ness, n.
Pre"ter- (?). [L. praeter past, beyond, originally a compar. of prae
before. See For, prep.] A prefix signifying past, by, beyond, more
than; as, preter- mission, a permitting to go by; preternatural, beyond
or more than is natural. [Written also prÊter.]
Pre`ter*hu"man (?), a. [Pref. preter- + human.] More than human.
Pre*te"ri*ent (?), a. [L. praeteriens, p. pr. See Preterit.] Passed
through; antecedent; previous; as, preterient states. [R.]
Pre`ter*im*per"fect (?), a. & n. [Pref. preter- + imperfect.] (Gram.)
Old name of the tense also called imperfect.
Pret"er*ist (?), n. [Pref. preter- + -ist.] 1. One whose chief
interest is in the past; one who regards the past with most pleasure or
favor.
2. (Theol.) One who believes the prophecies of the Apocalypse to have
been already fulfilled. Farrar.
Pret"er*it (?; 277), a. [L. praeteritus, p. p. of praeterire to go or
pass by; praeter beyond, by + ire to go: cf. F. prÈtÈrit. See Issue.]
[Written also preterite and prÊterite.] 1. (Gram.) Past; -- applied to
a tense which expresses an action or state as past.