Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
preterminal
pretermit
preternatural
pretest
pretext
preticket
pretor
Pretoria
pretorian
prettify
pretty
Pretty Good Privacy
pretty-pretty
pretty up
pretzel
prevail
prevail on
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

pretension (1)

pre·ten·sion [ pri ténshən ] (plural pre·ten·sions)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. affected behavior: affected behavior intended to give an appearance of greater importance, status, or knowledge than is warranted

2. questionable claim to something: an untruthful or dubious assertion of a right to something, especially something valuable, admirable, or prestigious ( often used in the plural and with negatives )
The book makes no pretensions to being great literature.

3. making of claim to something: the act of formally putting forward a claim ( formal )

[15th century. < medieval Latin praetension-< past participle of Latin praetendere (see pretend)]
Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft