an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
pretense (noun)1.
a claim made or implied , especially one not supported by fact
2.
a) mere ostentation - pretentiousness confuse dignity with pomposity and pretense Bennett Cerf
b) a act or assertion - pretentious
3.
an inadequate or insincere attempt to attain a certain condition or quality
4.
professed rather than real intention or purpose - pretext was there under false pretenses
5.
- make-believe fiction
6.
false show - simulation saw through his pretense of indifference