make a pretense

phrase

as in pretend
to take on a false or deceptive appearance He didn't even make a pretense of appreciating her artwork.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for make a pretense
  1. make a show
  2. make believe
Phrase
  • Daemon charged his queen with making a show of strength for all the realm to see, and her response is to once again visit the High Septon and beg for an anointing.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • And despite making a show of clashing with the Pentagon over concerns about the safe deployment of its AI systems, Anthropic also let the military use its Claude AI to select targets in Iran.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of make a show
Phrase
  • So in this case, let’s make believe in some timeline that didn’t happen and my wife got a manicure that day.
    — Joel Feder, The Drive, 29 July 2026
Definition of make believe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

make amends (for)
make a pretense
make a scene
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Make a pretense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make%20a%20pretense. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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