pretextual

comparative more pretextual · superlative most pretextual

1. Having a false, contrived or assumed purpose; characterized by pretense.

   "If you're accused of profiling or pretextual stops, you can bring your daily logbook to court and document that pulling over motorists for 'stickler' reasons is part of your customary pattern," Remsberg writes, "not a glaring exception conveniently dusted off in the defendant's case."

   2019, Malcolm Gladwell, Talking to Strangers

   Synonyms: pretextuous

1. not comparableBefore the existence of a text.

   They maintained that while historical critics sought to get behind the text to its pretextual and early textual origins (a “diachronic” approach), literary critics concentrated on the final product, the text as it now stands (a “synchronic” approach).

   2016, Adele Berlin, “Literary Approaches to the Hebrew Bible”, in Stephen B. Chapman, Marvin A. Sweeney, editors, The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, New York: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, pages 165–166