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🇩🇪German Source WordCode: DE

Vorwand

Pronunciation / Transliteration: ˈfoːɐ̯vant

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Pretext/ˈpriː.tekst/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #4500 frequency
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🇩🇪 Example Sentence in German:

"Er benutzte einen Vorwand, um nicht zu erscheinen."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason.

    "He used a pretext of being busy to avoid attending the meeting."
  2. 2

    An excuse or a deceptive reason.

    "Under the pretext of helping, he actually wanted to take advantage of her."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Latin praetextum, meaning 'that which is woven before' or 'an ornament, pretext', from the verb praetexere (to weave in front, cloak, or disguise). Entering English in the late 16th century via French, it shifted from a physical covering or border to an ostensible motive put forward to conceal a real purpose.

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