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01
a false reason or excuse given to justify an action or behavior, hiding the true motive behind it
Grammatical Information
animacy status
abstract
Composition
Compound
countable
plural form
pretexts
Examples
She used a family emergency as a pretext to leave the party early, but her friends suspected she simply was n't enjoying herself.
02
an artful or simulated semblance
Lexical Tree
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