ˈfeɪnɪŋ ˈpɹiːtɛns pɹɪˈtɛns ˈpɹiːtɛns ˈpɹiːtɛkst ˌsɪm.jə.ˈleɪ.ʃən the act of giving a false appearance his conformity was only pretending an artful or simulated semblance under the guise of friendship he betrayed them a false or unsupportable quality imaginative intellectual play pretending with intention to deceive