Vocabulary
Pretend
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
behave so as to make it appear that something is the case when in fact it is not.
Urdu meaning
نخرے کرنا، بننا ، جھوٹا دعویٰ کرنا
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.
-
As long as one can pretend it is the politicians who are in charge of politics and the country.
Dawn Editorials —
Change of heart?
— 2026-02-10
-
Even the most fervid optimists can`t pretend that this symbolic move could help impede the Gaza genocide unless words are followed by action.
Dawn Editorials —
UN: struggling at 80
— 2025-09-24
-
To pretend regulation is optional is to invite precisely what critics fear most, and should be feared: fraud, scams and money laundering (we know how that goes).
Dawn Editorials —
The $21bn question
— 2025-09-20
-
It would be naïve to pretend that the dramatic effects of AI will not extend to politics.
Dawn Editorials —
Darkness closes in
— 2025-09-12
-
Perhaps partly because most people do not even know they are here and partly because this government has no space to even pretend to care about human rights.
Dawn Editorials —
Normal abnormal
— 2025-08-19
Synonyms
make as if, profess, affect, dissimulate, dissemble, pose, posture, put it on
Antonyms
be honest, deny, reveal
Curator example
“I closed my eyes and pretended I was asleep”
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.
