Pretense
Pretense noun - The quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case.
Usage example: she seemed to be a very down-to-earth woman who was completely free of pretense
Show is a synonym for pretense in honest topic. In some cases you can use "Show" instead a noun "Pretense", when it comes to topics like disguise.
Show
Show noun - An outward and often exaggerated indication of something abstract (as a feeling) for effect.
Usage example: the children made a show of disgust when confronted with asparagus
Pretense is a synonym for show in honest topic. Sometimes you can use "Pretense" instead a noun "Show", if it concerns topics such as disguise, false front.
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Thing Fish: Mutated black people stage a play for an unwitting white couple as a pretense to kidnap and torture them, and show how their carelessness led to their situation.
Source: Music / Frank Zappa - By the final battle, he has lost all pretense of gentlemanly chivalry and simply orders his men to show no mercy.
Source: Leave No Survivors -
Faux Affably Evil: Mimara notes the shallow pretense of civility the Skin Eaters show her, knowing that they would rape her given the slightest opportunity.
Source: Literature / Second Apocalypse
Cite this Source
Show and Pretense. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretense/show
Pretense & Show. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretense/show>.
Show or Pretense. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pretense/show.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pretense" and "show" have occurred on timeline