Vocabulary
Pretence
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.
Urdu meaning
دکھاوے، نمود، ڈھونگ
Example sentences (from Dawn)
Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.
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Europe too has discarded a long cultivated democratic pretence and is eyeing its chance in the melee.
Dawn Editorials —
With the sleeves rolled up
— 2026-01-13
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Its votaries needed to help themselves to prayer and pretence to protect the morale of their teeming cadres.Thus in Goa last week, Modi declared that India under his watch was witnessing a cultural renaissance.
Dawn Editorials —
A tall tale about renaissance
— 2025-12-02
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But at least Mr Smotrich should be `credited` with dropping the pretence and describing Tel Aviv`s actual plans: the full occupation of Palestinian land, and obliteration of the Palestinian identity.
Dawn Editorials —
Israeli rapacity
— 2025-08-16
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This would require a change in mindset to prioritise dialogue as equals and eschew the pretence of hegemony.
Dawn Editorials —
Pak-India stalemate must end
— 2025-08-09
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But delivering a theocratic revamping of the constitution would need at least a pretence of popular support.
Dawn Editorials —
About electing a new people
— 2025-07-29
Synonyms
make-believe, act, putting on an act, acting, dissembling, shamming, sham,
Antonyms
reality, honesty
Curator example
“his anger is masked by a pretence that all is well”
More vocabulary to explore
About this vocabulary section.
These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions,
Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive
so you can see tone and usage.
Common questions
- Do I need to sign up to use this vocabulary page?
- No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
- Where do the example sentences come from?
- When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
- How is this different from a dictionary?
- This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.
