affectation
/,æfek'teiʃn/
Definition
Noun: 1. A deliberate pretense or exaggerated display: An artificial behavior, mannerism, or speech intended to impress others or to create a specific image that is not genuine. It is a form of insincerity where someone adopts traits they do not naturally possess. 2. An unnatural or contrived quality: A specific instance of such behavior, often perceived as pretentious or ostentatious.
Examples of Usage
- Her upper-class accent was a complete affectation; she had grown up in a completely different region.
- He spoke with an affectation of worldly wisdom that failed to convince anyone who knew him well.
- The writer's simplicity was genuine and free from any literary affectation.
- Wearing that monocle is a ridiculous affectation.
Advanced Usage
- "An air of affectation": A general manner or appearance that seems artificial.
- Despite his wealth, he spoke without any air of affectation.
- "To drop/lose the affectation": To stop behaving in an artificial way and become natural.
- After a few drinks, she dropped her affectations and was much more relaxed.
Variants and Related Words
- Affect (verb): To put on a pretense of; to pretend to have or feel. Often used in formal or literary contexts.
- He affected an interest in art to impress his date.
- Affected (adjective): Behaving in an artificial way to impress people; pretentious.
- She had an affected way of speaking that annoyed her colleagues.
- Affectedly (adverb): In an artificial or pretentious manner.
- He sighed affectedly to show his boredom.
Synonyms
- Pretense: An attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.
- Pose: A pretense or affectation, especially one adopted to impress.
- Mannerism: A habitual gesture or way of speaking, which can become an affectation if exaggerated or adopted artificially.
- Artificiality: The quality of being made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally; insincerity.
Antonyms
- Naturalness: The quality of being free from affectation or pretense.
- Genuineness: The quality of being truly what something is said to be; authenticity.
- Sincerity: The absence of pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.
Idioms and Related Phrases
- "To put on an affectation": To deliberately adopt an artificial manner.
- He put on an affectation of sophistication when he went to the gallery.
- "Full of affectations": Describing a person whose behavior is consistently artificial or pretentious.
- The character in the novel was full of affectations, making him hard to like.
Noun
-
a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
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