Both Uses of
pretentious
in
Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis
- She glanced through the fly-specked windows of the most pretentious building in sight, the one place which welcomed strangers and determined their opinion of the charm and luxury of Gopher Prairie—the Minniemashie House.†
Chpt 4 *pretentious = attempting to act more impressive than is deserved
- A self-deceived little woman whispering in corners with a pretentious little man.†
Chpt 30
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.