Definition of "pretension" [pre•ten•sion]

• A specious allegation; a pretext. (noun)
• A claim to something, such as a privilege or right. See Synonyms at claim. (noun)
• The advancing of a claim. (noun)
• Ostentatious display; pretentiousness. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The moment this pretension is abandoned the sword will drop from our grasp, and we shall be ready to enter into treaties of amity and commerce mutually beneficial."
• "The first target of Everett's satire is the writing of fiction itself, which is portrayed implicitly as an enterprise saturated in pretension and moribund assumptions."
• "The almost complete lack of pretension is wonderful, though you can certainly find a bit of that in the gated communities."