performative

adjective

per·​for·​ma·​tive pər-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv 

pə-

1

: relating to or marked by public, often artistic performance

… comes across as funny, sharp and unfiltered, with a broad performative streak.

—Meredith Blake

The secret … behind a magic trick is normally quite simple, but it's the magician's performative flair and masterly execution that makes it come to life.

—Ian Frisch

For me, this changed the atmosphere of the night from performative to meditative, from a concert to a private memorial service.

—Catherine Womack

2

disapproving : made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)

But when expressing outrage is as easy as posting a hashtag, a meme, or an empty black square, there's a question of whether that outrage is genuine or performative.

—Alia E. Dastigir

… a large part of the discussion surrounding the movement's focus is on actually doing the work, rather than just keeping it a performative symbol of allyship.

—Kara Nesvig

Without black executives, anti-racism signaling is merely performative.

—Charles Chamberlayne

3

: determined and reinforced by the repeated performance of socially prescribed acts and behaviors rather than by biological factors

The view that gender is performative sought to show that what we take to be an internal essence of gender is manufactured through a sustained set of acts …

—Judith Butler

I join scholars who have argued that race is socially constructed and performative, but I keep my eye on what race and racial identity mean to those who are racialized.

—Allyson Hobbs

4

grammar : being or relating to an expression (such as a word or statement) that performs the act it specifies or that effects a transaction (see transaction sense 2b)

a performative verb such as promise

performative utterances such as 'thank you' and 'I apologize'

A performative speech act is one that does the act that it describes by the words it uses.

—Roger W. Shuy

When I say 'I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth' I do not describe the christening ceremony, I actually perform the christening. … Now these kinds of utterance are what we call performative utterances.

—J. L. Austin

compare constative

performative noun

plural performatives

… legal performatives such as "I sentence you" or "I pronounce you man and wife."

—Spencer Bokat-Lindell

Examples of performative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And so taking away the performative side of it and actually connecting with the truth of what one artist means versus another. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024

While many executives threw money at the issue or made performative hires in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Ellison is getting more hands-on. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 June 2024

There are those led by performative militants (Gustavo Petro, in Colombia, and the lame duck Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in Mexico) and by pragmatic social democrats (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in Brazil, and Gabriel Boric, in Chile). —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024

There is a big emphasis on reveling in your talents as the Sun and Mercury come together in your performative 5th house, giving you at least one chance to put your skills on display. —Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

perform + -ative

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1