Synonyms for Pretense (same or very similar meaning)
WordNet sense 1 (pretending with intention to deceive):
feigning, dissembling, pretence
WordNet sense 2 (imaginative intellectual play):
make-believe
WordNet sense 3 (a false or unsupportable quality):
pretension
WordNet sense 4 (an artful or simulated semblance):
guise, pretext
WordNet sense 5 (the act of giving a false appearance):
simulation, pretending
From the ODE community, based on WordNet
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