''pretension'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''pretension'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260331180822-00-⌔

pretension - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

pretension (countable and uncountable, plural pretensions)

• A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality.
  • ✤ As a foreign stamp gazette it is nowhere. An article on Stamp Collecting, by J. E. Gray, “reprinted from one of his books,” and a catalogue of stamps constitute its sole attraction. We are surprised to find such sounding pretentions so poorly supported.¹
• Pretentiousness.

Verb

pretension (third-person singular simple present pretensions, present participle pretensioning, simple past and past participle pretensioned)

• To apply tension to an object before some other event or process.
• (construction) To apply tension to reinforcing strands before concrete is poured in.
  • ✤ Coordinate term: posttension

Etymology 1

From Middle English pretencioun, pretensioun, from Medieval Latin prētēnsiō.

Etymology 2

From pre- + tension.

Printed 2026-06-28.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. 1872, “Reviews of Postal Publications”, in The Stamp-Collector’s Magazine, volume 10, page 110: ↩

Link to original

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