| 单词 | pretend |
| 释义 | pretend /pri tend"/, v.t. 1. to cause or attempt to cause (what is not so) to seem so: to pretend illness; to pretend that nothing is wrong. 2. to appear falsely, as to deceive; feign: to pretend to go to sleep. 3. to make believe: The children pretended to be cowboys. 4. to presume; venture: I can't pretend to say what went wrong. 5. to allege or profess, esp. insincerely or falsely: He pretended to have no knowledge of her whereabouts. v.i. 6. to make believe. 7. to lay claim to (usually fol. by to): She pretended to the throne. 8. to make pretensions (usually fol. by to): He pretends to great knowledge. 9. Obs. to aspire, as a suitor or candidate (fol. by to). adj. 10. Informal. make-believe; simulated; counterfeit: pretend diamonds. [1325-75; ME pretenden < L praetendere to stretch forth, put forward, pretend. See PRE-, TEND1] Syn. 1. simulate, fake, sham, counterfeit. PRETEND, AFFECT, ASSUME, FEIGN imply an attempt to create a false appearance. TO PRETEND is to create an imaginary characteristic or to play a part: to pretend sorrow. TO AFFECT is to make a consciously artificial show of having qualities that one thinks would look well and impress others: to affect shyness. TO ASSUME is to take on or put on a specific outward appearance, often (but not always) with intent to deceive: to assume an air of indifference. TO FEIGN implies using ingenuity in pretense, and some degree of imitation of appearance or characteristics: to feign surprise. |
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