Pretext — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason

an artful or simulated semblance

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pɹˈiːtɛkst/

🇬🇧British English

/pɹˈiːtɛkst/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pɹˈiːtɛkst/

2 syllables Say it as /pɹˈiːtɛkst/.

Examples

under the guise of friendship he betrayed them

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

guise pretence stalking-horse pretense

Parts of Speech

noun	something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
noun	an artful or simulated semblance “under the guise of friendship he betrayed them”

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Vorwand

etwas, das dazu dient, Pläne zu verbergen; ein fiktiver Grund, der erfunden wird, um den wahren Grund zu verbergen

🇫🇷French

prétexte

quelque chose servant à cacher des plans ; une raison fictive concoctée pour cacher la vraie raison

🇪🇸Spanish

pretexto

algo que sirve para ocultar planes; una razón ficticia que se inventa para ocultar la razón real

🇮🇹Italian

pretesto

qualcosa che serve a nascondere i piani; una ragione fittizia inventata per nascondere la vera ragione

🇳🇱Dutch

voorwendsel

iets dat dient om plannen te verbergen; een fictieve reden die is verzonnen om de echte reden te verbergen

🇵🇹Portuguese

pretexto

algo que serve para esconder planos; uma razão fictícia inventada para ocultar a verdadeira razão

🇷🇺Russian

предлог

что-то, служащее для сокрытия планов; вымышленная причина, придуманная для того, чтобы скрыть истинную причину

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बहाना

कुछ ऐसा जो योजनाओं को छिपाने में सहायक हो; एक काल्पनिक कारण जो वास्तविक कारण को छुपाने के लिए गढ़ा गया है

🇧🇩Bengali

অজুহাত

পরিকল্পনা গোপন করার জন্য কিছু পরিবেশন করা; একটি কাল্পনিক কারণ যা আসল কারণটি আড়াল করার জন্য তৈরি করা হয়

🇮🇳Tamil

சாக்குப்போக்கு

திட்டங்களை மறைக்க ஏதாவது சேவை செய்கிறது; உண்மையான காரணத்தை மறைப்பதற்காக உருவாக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு கற்பனையான காரணம்

🇮🇳Telugu

సాకు

ప్రణాళికలను దాచడానికి ఏదో ఒక పని; నిజమైన కారణాన్ని దాచిపెట్టడానికి రూపొందించబడిన కల్పిత కారణం

🇮🇳Marathi

सबब

योजना लपविण्यासाठी काहीतरी सेवा; एक काल्पनिक कारण जे खरे कारण लपविण्यासाठी रचले जाते

🇮🇳Gujarati

બહાનું

યોજનાઓ છુપાવવા માટે કંઈક સેવા આપે છે; એક કાલ્પનિક કારણ કે જે વાસ્તવિક કારણને છુપાવવા માટે ઉપજાવી કાઢેલ છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ನೆಪ

ಯೋಜನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮರೆಮಾಚಲು ಏನಾದರೂ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವುದು; ನಿಜವಾದ ಕಾರಣವನ್ನು ಮರೆಮಾಚುವ ಸಲುವಾಗಿ ರೂಪಿಸಲಾದ ಕಾಲ್ಪನಿಕ ಕಾರಣ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ന്യായവാദം

പദ്ധതികൾ മറയ്ക്കാൻ സഹായിക്കുന്ന എന്തെങ്കിലും; യഥാർത്ഥ കാരണം മറയ്ക്കാൻ വേണ്ടി കെട്ടിച്ചമച്ച ഒരു സാങ്കൽപ്പിക കാരണം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬਹਾਨਾ

ਯੋਜਨਾਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਛੁਪਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਕੋਈ ਚੀਜ਼; ਇੱਕ ਕਾਲਪਨਿਕ ਕਾਰਨ ਜੋ ਅਸਲ ਕਾਰਨ ਨੂੰ ਛੁਪਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਘੜਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

بہانہ

منصوبوں کو چھپانے کے لیے کوئی چیز۔ ایک فرضی وجہ جو اصل وجہ کو چھپانے کے لیے گھڑائی جاتی ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

借口

用来隐藏计划的东西；为了掩盖真实原因而捏造的虚构原因

🇯🇵Japanese

口実

計画を隠すために役立つもの。本当の理由を隠すためにでっち上げられた架空の理由

🇰🇷Korean

이름

계획을 숨기는 역할을 하는 것; 진짜 이유를 은폐하기 위해 날조된 허구의 이유

🇻🇳Vietnamese

cớ

thứ gì đó dùng để che giấu kế hoạch; một lý do hư cấu được tạo ra để che giấu lý do thực sự

🇹🇭Thai

ข้ออ้าง

บางสิ่งบางอย่างที่ทำหน้าที่ปกปิดแผนการ เหตุผลสมมติที่ปรุงขึ้นเพื่อปกปิดเหตุผลที่แท้จริง

🇮🇩Indonesian

dalih

sesuatu yang berfungsi untuk menyembunyikan rencana; alasan fiktif yang dibuat untuk menyembunyikan alasan sebenarnya

🇵🇭Filipino

pagkukunwari

isang bagay na nagsisilbi upang itago ang mga plano; isang kathang-isip na dahilan na inihanda para maitago ang tunay na dahilan

🇲🇾Malay

alasan

sesuatu yang berfungsi untuk menyembunyikan rancangan; alasan rekaan yang diada-adakan untuk menyembunyikan sebab sebenar

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ذريعة

شيء يعمل على إخفاء الخطط؛ سبب وهمي يتم اختلاقه لإخفاء السبب الحقيقي

🇮🇷Persian

بهانه

چیزی که در خدمت پنهان کردن نقشه ها است. دلیل ساختگی که برای کتمان دلیل واقعی ساخته شده است

🇹🇷Turkish

bahane

planları gizlemeye yarayan bir şey; Gerçek nedeni gizlemek için uydurulmuş hayali bir neden

🇮🇱Hebrew

אֲמַתלָה

משהו המשמש להסתרת תוכניות; סיבה פיקטיבית שנרקחה על מנת להסתיר את הסיבה האמיתית

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'pretext'?

The primary meaning of 'pretext' is 'something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'pretext' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'pretext' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'pretext' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'pretext' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'pretext' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'pretext' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'pretext' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'pretext' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'pretext' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'pretext' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted