All 3 Uses of
pretense
in
The Trial, by Fran Kafka
- Had they been putting up a pretence all the time he had been speaking, and now that he come to the end and to what must follow, were they tired of pretending?†
Chpt 2 *unconventional spelling: This is a British spelling. Americans use pretense.
- He said it was because I clear up in the courtroom but that's only a pretence, that job's no more than what I'm supposed to do, it's what my husband gets paid for.†
Chpt 3
- Eventually we couldn't keep up the pretence any longer, but these are polite and highly capable men, they didn't say anything about it so as to spare my feelings but in the end not even they could continue to force themselves and, as they couldn't speak about the matter in hand, they became silent.†
Chpt 6
Definition:
a false appearance or action to help one pretend
This is sometimes seen in the expression "false pretense" or "false pretenses" which is just emphasizing that behavior or actions do not reflect the true situation.