/ prɪˈtenʃn; NAmE / noun [ C , usually pl. , U ]
1.
the act of trying to appear more important, intelligent, etc. than you are in order to impress other people :
intellectual pretensions
The play mocks the pretensions of the new middle class.
He spoke without pretension.
2.
pretension (to sth / to doing sth) | pretension (to do sth) a claim to be or to do sth :
a building with no pretensions to architectural merit
The movie makes no pretension to reproduce life.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from medieval Latin praetensio(n-) , from praetens- alleged, from the verb praetendere stretch forth, claim, from prae before + tendere stretch.