CARD 1 OF 5
pretension
noun
Reveal meaning and examples
An attempt or claim to seem more important, skilled, or impressive than warranted.
The restaurant's elaborate descriptions struck her as empty pretension.
The actor playing the collector adopted a pompous manner, turning a simple welcome into a long ceremony about the honor of entering his home. His pretension to artistic expertise became clear when he praised a painting without recognizing that it hung upside down.