AFFECTATION Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'affectation' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of affectation are airs , air , mannerism , and pose . While all these words mean "an adopted way of speaking or behaving," affectation applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere. // the posh accent is an affectation

Q: When would 'air' be a good substitute for 'affectation'?

While the synonyms air and affectation are close in meaning, air may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life. // a traveler's sophisticated air

Q: When is it sensible to use 'airs' instead of 'affectation'?

The meanings of airs and affectation largely overlap; however, airs always implies artificiality and pretentiousness. // snobbish airs

Q: When can 'mannerism' be used instead of 'affectation'?

Although the words mannerism and affectation have much in common, mannerism applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit. // gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism

Q: When is 'pose' a more appropriate choice than 'affectation'?

The synonyms pose and affectation are sometimes interchangeable, but pose implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others. // her shyness was just a pose

affectation

noun

ˌa-ˌfek-ˈtā-shən

Definition of affectation next

as in pretension

the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case a woman of great affectation at social gatherings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun affectation contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of affectation are airs, air, mannerism, and pose. While all these words mean "an adopted way of speaking or behaving," affectation applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere.

the posh accent is an affectation

When would air be a good substitute for affectation?

While the synonyms air and affectation are close in meaning, air may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life.

a traveler's sophisticated air

When is it sensible to use airs instead of affectation?

The meanings of airs and affectation largely overlap; however, airs always implies artificiality and pretentiousness.

snobbish airs

When can mannerism be used instead of affectation?

Although the words mannerism and affectation have much in common, mannerism applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit.

gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism

When is pose a more appropriate choice than affectation?

The synonyms pose and affectation are sometimes interchangeable, but pose implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others.

her shyness was just a pose

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of affectation That was just a bizarre affectation, a strange impression of a dancing horse that offered basically nothing constructive, and ultimately made his eventual miss look five times as stupid. —

Nick Miller, The Athletic, 9 July 2024 She’s doe-eyed and eager and preening with Grande adopting a mid-century affectation, à la Gloria Grahame in Oklahoma! —

Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024 Some have weird affectations that appear to have no actual purpose, some have extraordinary techniques few others can match. —

Nick Miller, The Athletic, 9 July 2024 According to Schrader, the key to Leonard Fife was simply stripping away all of Gere’s own mannerisms and affectations. —

Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for affectation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for affectation

Noun

There’s no pretension or judgment here, but nearly everything is pleasing to the eye.

— Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2025
Before Trump, Tokyo spent less than one percent of GDP on defense, an astonishingly low figure for a state adjacent to China and with great-power pretensions.

— Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022