grandstander
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈɡrændˌstændər/
- Literature
:
exhibicionista
- Despite his talent, his constant need for applause made him a notorious grandstander at the theater.
- a political grandstander
So there are people who are actually really good at at going after and shaming grandstanders.
- So there are people who are actually really good at at going after and shaming grandstanders.
- Then you get the people that once you finally get through the deliberations of all of the showboating grandstanders that have to just, you know, throw their hat in for the toast.
Examples
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And this is where Hotchkiss and Rowse expose themselves as just grandstanders.
Blog text (26) -
(n13) Prime Minister Koizumi is definitely a "grandstander," but that leadership style invites opposition from the bureaucracy and from entrenched interests within the LDP.
Academic text (2002) -
While they certainly sell, I don't think the benefits to the grandstander are worth the cost of people left in their wake.
Blog text (34) -
They are such grandstanders from the top of the ticket all the way down.
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We don't need a lot of grandstanders and, and people that want the spotlight on, on them.
-
And to see the grandstanders condemn the grandstander for grandstanding is too funny.
Blog text (29) -
After all the hard work intelligent pro-lifers have done in changing the public's mind about a subject the public would rather not think about at all, these purist grandstanders came along and announced insane positions with no practical purpose whatsoever, other than showing off.
Blog text (5) -
You dismiss such figures as the Pauls and DeMint as grandstanders who aren't "serious about policy," but I'd argue that policy wonks like Ryan are the ones who aren't serious.
Blog text (13) -
The politician's speech was filled with exaggerated claims, proving he was just a grandstander seeking attention.
-
At every charity event, she turned every announcement into a performance, much to the dismay of her peers who called her a grandstander.
Synonyms
12
4.8
A person who tries to get attention by doing things to impress others
7
7.5
Someone who behaves to get attention by showing off skills or style
1
7.9
A person who shows off to get attention
An actor who tries to be the center of attention on stage, ignoring other actors
How Showy
- Offensive
2
9.9
- Literature
1
8.6
- Offensive
12
4.8
- Offensive
26
8.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
grandstander = grandstand (semi-transparent) = grand + stand + er
The agentive '-er' from 'grandstand' is a transparent derivation, but 'grandstand' itself is a metaphorical compound whose meaning ('to perform ostentatiously') is not fully predictable from 'grand' + 'stand'.
Etymology
The word grandstander comes from grandstand, where grand means 'big' and stand means 'a place to watch'. So a grandstander is someone who shows off or 'performs' for the crowd to get attention or applause.