false pretence
noun
Simple meaning
A representation made of untrue assertions to convey a false impression.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fawlspreetensSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfɔlspɹitɛns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
British spelling
A representation made of untrue assertions in order to convey a false impression.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: (British spelling) A representation made of untrue assertions in order to convey a false impression.
Used this way, false pretence is a word tied to one variety of English that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. Most speakers understand it but seldom reach for it.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Regional
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Uncommon in everyday speech
Usage note
Mainly used in British English, so it may read as unusual elsewhere.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.