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Pretext vs Subtext - What's the difference?

pretext | subtext |

As nouns the difference between pretext and subtext

is that pretext is a false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense while subtext is the implicit meaning of a text, often a literary one, or a speech or dialogue.

As a verb pretext

is to employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.

pretext

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.
    • The reporter called the company on the pretext of trying to resolve a consumer complaint.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=When that metaphor proves untenable, he switches to insisting that women are like beer but that’s mainly as a pretext to drink until he passes out in a father-son bonding haze.}}

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

    (Pretexting) (en verb)
  • To employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.
    • The spy obtained his phone records using possibly-illegal pretexting methods.

    Synonyms

    * blag (UK)

    See also

    * (Social engineering)

    External links

    * *

    subtext

    English

    Noun

    (wikipedia subtext) (en noun)
  • The implicit meaning of a text, often a literary one, or a speech or dialogue.

    • Derived terms

    * subtextual

    Anagrams

    *