A pretext is an excuse, a guise, a pretense, a cover story, a r__e (a sneaky trick that helps you avoid getting caught), an os___sible reason (professed to be true but probably false). For example, back in middle school, if I got out of running the mile in P. E. class, it was probably on the pretext that my lungs were recovering from some totally real illness. I'd have a forged doctor's note. A convincing pretext.

Until just now, I assumed the word pretext had something to do with writing (hence "text") an excuse ahead of time (hence "pre-"). But I was wrong, in an interesting way.

A pretext isn't a text created ahead of time; it's more like a disguise woven and placed in front of someone.

In an etymological sense, texts, like books and poems and notes from your doctor that say you're too fragile for four sweaty laps around the track, are things that are "woven" together, with the word text deriving from the Latin texere, meaning "to weave," or less literally "to braid, to build, to construct, to fab___ate ('to make up or invent, as if by stitching lies together')."

And so pretexts are things that are "woven before" other people: stories or excuses that are invented to keep other people from seeing your true intentions.

You can see, then, how the words text and pretext are related to textiles, textures, and tissues: all things that are, at heart, "woven" into being. Two more especially interesting relatives are context (something "woven together") and subtle ("woven underneath").

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) 

"Pretext" has Latin bits that literally refer to something "woven in front of" someone else, which makes sense because a pretext is a figurative type of disguise.

Going back to the 1500s in English, a pretext has been a fake or pretend reason for doing something.

In other words, when you have a pretext for doing something sneaky or selfish, or when you do something sneaky or selfish on the pretext of some nobler reason, then you have an excuse or a cover-up for getting away with doing that sneaky or selfish thing.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "Thunder booms, and the boys dash into Maria's room on the pretext of making sure she wasn't scared."

Other forms: 

The plural noun is "pretexts," as in "Cady tries various pretexts for sending Aaron into the projection room."

If you need an adjective, you can pick between "pretextual" and "pretextuous," both of which are rare and, to my ear, sound hilarious.

"Pretext" is also a verb, but that's rare as well. Here's an example from Aldous Huxley: "Mrs. Aldwinkle pretexted a headache."

how to use it:

Pick the formal, common word "pretext" when you want to sound serious (or mock-serious) as you hint that someone's excuse or cover story has been planned ahead of time, like a disguise woven for a particular occasion.

Say that someone has a pretext for doing something unacceptable: "He keeps lots of unsharpened pencils in his desk, so he has a pretext for wandering the classroom instead of getting down to work."

Or say that someone does something unacceptable on or under the pretext of doing something acceptable: "Avoiding the assignment, he took a long lap around the classroom on the pretext of looking for the pencil sharpener."

Keeping in mind that a pretext is a metaphorical disguise to be worn, you could, like George R. R. Martin in the example cited below, say that someone's pretext is getting worn out, raggedy, or threadbare. Or say that it's thin, or flimsy, or unraveling.

examples:

"Robb wants me safe, I cannot fault him for that, but his pretext is growing threadbare." 
  — George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, 1998

"Under the pretext of holding up a measuring cup to see if he'd poured out enough armadillo bile, Harry sneaked a sidelong glance at the pair of them." 
  — J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000

has this page helped you understand "pretext"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "pretext" without saying "alibi" or "front."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "On every kind of pretext, (someone) would run away from (work or something equally boring) and (go do something fun or frivolous)."

Example 1: "On every kind of pretext, my coworker at the photo lab would duck out of her shifts and head off to the mall or the beach."

Example 2: "On every kind of pretext [Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare] would run away from work and go to the drinking pool, where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water."
  — George Orwell, Animal Farm, 1945

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "What Are You Implying?"

Build your word-finding muscle as you reach for synonyms for various implications.

For example, what's a synonym for "living thing" that
   1. ...implies that someone made it?
   2. ...implies that it simply exists?
   3. ...implies that it has an intangible essence?

Your answers could be 1. "creature," 2. "being," and 3. "soul."

Try these today:

What's a synonym for "to idle" that
   1. ...implies someone is staying in one spot instead of moving along?
   2. ...implies that someone is letting forces carry them along instead of taking action themselves?
   3. ...implies that someone is doing nothing useful in order to avoid doing useful work?

To see some possible answers, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of PRETEXTUAL could be

A. GENUINE.
B. REFLECTIVE.
C. ANALYTICAL.

2. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, with a series of pretexts, Aureliano Segundo manages to _____.

A. snack on things that aren't food, like dirt and plaster
B. move from the house he shares with his wife into his lover's house
C. discover ice for the first time and declare it the most marvelous thing ever

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B From the game: Lots of good answers are possible! Here are mine: What's a synonym for "to idle" that    1. ...implies someone is staying in one spot instead of moving along? "Linger."    2. ...implies that someone is letting forces carry them along instead of taking action themselves? "Drift."    3. ...implies that someone is doing nothing useful in order to avoid doing useful work? "Procrastinate."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.