The Only Use of
pretentious
in
Pride and Prejudice
- "No," said Darcy, "I have made no such pretension.†
p. 56.8pretension = acting more impressive than is deserved
Definitions:
-
(1)
(pretentious) acting more impressive than is deserved
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, the word form, pretension, can mean to apply tension to something before an event--as when a seat belt is pretensioned so it will be snug prior to use in an accident.