performativity
noun
per·for·ma·tiv·i·ty
pər-ˌfȯr-mə-ˈti-və-tē 
pə-
: the quality or state of being performative
especially, often disapproving
: the state of being made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)
Why would he not be obsessed with the performativity of social media, of buffing up appearances? —
Suzanne Moore
Suzanne Moore Examples of performativity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The New Barbizon painters were serious about painting, but their adventures had a certain performativity about them.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
The Olympic website, however, says that judges score 1-on-1 battles on creativity, musicality, personality, technique, performativity and variety.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 15 Aug. 2024
Athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics battled against each other one-on-one as a panel of judges rated their performances based on six different criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2024
Judges will award points based on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality.
—Heather L. Whitley, Southern Living, 25 July 2024
Judges will score them on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 July 2024
And the film was also ahead of its time for exposing the performativity of gender in an accessible way.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 28 June 2024
And Who Won’t With emphasis on nuance and the power of narrative, Charlamagne explores the notions of conversation, the toxicity of social media, performativity and politics in his new book Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 June 2024
Thinking Berkeley philosopher Judith Butler’s theory of gender for the 21st century
A primer on Judith Butler’s theory of gender and performativity.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
The Olympic website, however, says that judges score 1-on-1 battles on creativity, musicality, personality, technique, performativity and variety.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 15 Aug. 2024
Athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics battled against each other one-on-one as a panel of judges rated their performances based on six different criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2024
Judges will award points based on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality.
—Heather L. Whitley, Southern Living, 25 July 2024
Judges will score them on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 25 July 2024
And the film was also ahead of its time for exposing the performativity of gender in an accessible way.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 28 June 2024
And Who Won’t With emphasis on nuance and the power of narrative, Charlamagne explores the notions of conversation, the toxicity of social media, performativity and politics in his new book Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 June 2024
Thinking Berkeley philosopher Judith Butler’s theory of gender for the 21st century
A primer on Judith Butler’s theory of gender and performativity.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'performativity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near performativity
Cite this Entry
“Performativity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/performativity. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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