1. claims to have a particular status, quality, or right, especially when such claims are questionable or unjustified
Usage: usually plural
2. attempts to impress others or appear more important, cultured, or sophisticated than one actually is
Usage: usually plural; often implies artificiality

Examples

• His pretensions to nobility were quickly exposed as false.
• The restaurant’s pretensions to fine dining were undermined by poor service.
• She had no pretensions about her cooking skills and admitted she was still learning.
• The author’s literary pretensions made his simple story unnecessarily complicated.
• Despite his wealth, he lived without pretensions in a modest home.
• Her pretensions to being an expert were obvious to everyone in the room.
• The small town had pretensions of becoming a major tourist destination.