pageantry

noun

pag·​eant·​ry ˈpa-jən-trē 

1

: pageants and the presentation of pageants

2

: colorful, rich, or splendid display : spectacle

3

: mere show : empty display

Examples of pageantry in a Sentence

I like the tradition and pageantry that come with graduations.

Recent Examples on the Web

The route of embalming, viewing, coffin, and burial, at this stage in history, can seem a bit too Egyptian pharaoh—comically false, a parade of pageantry and expense that only goes so far to mitigate the pain of loss. —Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

The other would become the crown jewel of the parade’s unabashedly hokey pageantry: its collection of majestic balloons, beginning with a two-story Felix the Cat in 1927. —Michael Callahan, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

Wilson’s characters run the gamut from uncouth to in-your-face offensive — none more than the tacky small-town beautician Wilson embodies in a brash, John Waters-esque musical satire, situated where overzealous progressive values meet old-school pageantry at its most patriarchal. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Sep. 2024

The athletes’ pauper lifestyles didn’t fit the pageantry of the event. —Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 27 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pageantry

noun

pag·​eant·​ry ˈpaj-ən-trē 

plural pageantries

1

: pageants and the presentation of pageants

2

: splendid display