pretence
noun /prɪˈtens/
/ˈpriːtens/
(British English) (North American English pretense)
Idioms - [uncountable, singular] the act of behaving in a particular way, in order to make other people believe something that is not true
假象；伪装；虚伪的表现 - Their friendliness was only pretence.
他们的友善态度只不过是装出来的。 - pretence of doing something By the end of the evening she had abandoned all pretence of being interested.
到晚会结束时，她已将假装的兴趣抛得一干二净。 - pretence of something He made no pretence of great musical knowledge.
他未敢妄称音乐知识丰富。 - pretence that… She was unable to keep up the pretence that she loved him.
她无法继续假装爱他了。
- There is not even the slightest pretence of trying to make it realistic.
甚至丝毫没有设法做些掩饰使之看上去真实。 - He was hanged without even the pretence of a proper trial.
连装模作样的审判一下都没有，他就被处以绞刑。 - I don't know how long I can keep up this pretence of happiness.
我不知道自己装幸福还能像这样装多久。 - She abandoned all pretence of neutrality and began to cheer.
她放弃所有中立的幌子，开始欢呼。 - His pretence at friendliness fooled no one.
他的故作友好骗不了大家。 - It was all an elaborate pretence.
这全是装腔作势。 - Now that the pretence was over, he could tell them what he really thought.
既然不用假装了，他可以告诉他们自己的真实想法了。
Collocations Dictionaryadjective- elaborate
- flimsy
- slight
- …
- keep up
- maintain
- sustain
- …
- be over
- under the pretence of
- pretence at
- pretence of
- …
- abandon all pretence
- abandon any pretence
- make a pretence
- …
- Their friendliness was only pretence.
- [uncountable, countable, usually singular] (formal or literary) a claim that you have a particular quality or skill
妄称；自称；标榜 - pretence (to something) a woman with some pretence to beauty
自诩有几分姿色的女人 - pretence (to doing something) I make no pretence to being an expert on the subject.
我不敢自诩为这方面的专家。
- pretence (to something) a woman with some pretence to beauty
词源late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French pretense, based on medieval Latin pretensus ‘pretended’, alteration of Latin praetentus, from the verb praetendere ‘stretch forth, claim’, from prae ‘before’ + tendere ‘stretch’.
Idioms
by/under/on false pretences
- by pretending to be something that you are not, in order to gain some advantage for yourself
靠欺诈手段；以虚假的借口 - She was accused of obtaining money under false pretences.
她被控诈骗钱财。
- She was accused of obtaining money under false pretences.