Word · Frequency #11562
pretensions
主张；声称
pretensions is the plural of pretension.
A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality.
- 1.
A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality.
对特定地位或品质的主张或渴望
- 2.
a false or unsupportable quality
虚假或不可靠的品质
- 3.
Pretentiousness.
自命不凡,做作
- 4.
the advancing of a claim
声称；主张
- 5.
the quality of being pretentious (behaving or speaking in such a manner as to create a false appearance of great importance or worth)
自命不凡；装腔作势
自命不凡；装腔作势；虚假品质；不实之处；对特定地位或品质的主张或渴望；虚假或不可靠的品质；自命不凡,做作
In use
His pretension to being an expert fooled no one.
The artist's work is free from pretension and full of genuine emotion.
She has intellectual pretensions that often annoy her colleagues.
his pretension to the crown
the town still puts forward pretensions as a famous resort
have pretensions to sth
多含贬义，指自以为拥有或渴望达到某种地位或品质。
He has pretensions to genius.
他自命为天才。
without pretension
此处 pretension 为不可数名词，意为“自命不凡；装腔作势”。
Connections
Collocations
- pretensions to greatness
- 自命不凡；妄图伟大
- He has pretensions to greatness, though his work is mediocre.他自命不凡，尽管作品平庸。
- without pretension
- 不装腔作势；朴实无华
- She speaks simply and without pretension.她说话简单，毫不装腔作势。
- cultural pretensions
- 附庸风雅；文化上的炫耀
- The magazine is full of cultural pretensions.这本杂志满是附庸风雅。
- social pretensions
- 社会地位上的虚荣心；攀附上流
- They moved to a richer neighborhood to satisfy their social pretensions.他们搬到富人区以满足其社会地位上的虚荣心。
- empty pretensions
- 空洞的标榜；虚伪的声称
- The regime's empty pretensions to democracy fooled no one.该政权对民主的虚伪标榜骗不了任何人。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
pretend（假装）+ tension（紧张）→ 记住：pretension 就是装腔作势、自命不凡。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：学术写作、文学评论、正式演讲 pretension 表示“声称/主张”时通常用于正式语境，多出现在学术写作或文学评论中；日常口语里更常用 claim 或 pretentiousness，单独使用 pretension 较少。
Grammar Note
Often used in plural form 'pretensions' or with a dependent preposition.
Pronunciation & Spelling
All six words rhyme with pretension /priˈtɛnʃən/: the stressed vowel /ɛ/ is followed by /nʃən/. Be careful with -ssion lookalikes such as possession /pəˈzɛʃən/ and expression /ɪkˈsprɛʃən/, which lack the /n/ and do not rhyme.
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.