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affectation

affectation

11 8.6
A fake way of speaking or behaving to impress others
  • noun
  • /ˌæfɛkˈteɪʃən/
translation icon : afectación
  • Many people see her sudden interest in classical music as an affectation rather than genuine passion.
  • warned against affectation

There was a personal quality free of platform aloofness or affectation or superiority in your talk.

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Examples

  • It's a revolting affectation, but it relaxes me.

  • There was a personal quality free of platform aloofness or affectation or superiority in your talk.

  • What kind of ridiculous affectation is that for a man?

  • All the rest is an affectation and an unnecessary affectation.

  • I consider them sheer affectation.

  • I never understood this bizarre affectation.

  • Only gradually did that affectation strike me as foolish.

    Academic text (2009)
  • They told me it was an affectation for me to still wear it.

  • When I call these puppets my friend, it is no mere affectation.

  • My father's "character drive to an Olympian or royal position" was less an affectation than a defense mechanism.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

appearance
vsaffectation
72 5.1

A way of showing yourself that hides problems to make others think well of you

is narrower, focusing specifically on manner and speech rather than overall presentation
posturing
vsaffectation
34 7.0

Behaving to impress people instead of being honest

emphasises artificial manner done to impress rather than only attract notice
pose
vsaffectation
22 7.0

A way of behaving that is not genuine to impress others

is broader, applying to any artificial manner to impress others
theatrics
vsaffectation
21 4.8

Dramatic behavior done to get attention

is more general, covering artificial manner not only dramatic acts
histrionics
vsaffectation
6 9.1

Very dramatic behavior that tries to get attention

is about affected manner generally rather than loud emotional displays only
showboating
vsaffectation
  • Informal
5 6.3

An act of trying to get attention by doing dramatic moves

is about affected manner broadly, not only showy acts
ostentation
vsaffectation
3 8.5

An act of showing off money or achievements to get attention

focuses on personal manner and speech to impress rather than public display
pretentiousness
vsaffectation
  • Offensive
2 7.7

Acting like you are more important or more educated than you really are

is more general, covering many artificial ways to gain impression
exhibitionism
vsaffectation
2 8.1

Doing dramatic things to get attention or praise

is usually milder, focusing on manner and speech rather than extreme acts
mannerism
vsaffectation
1 6.5

An exaggerated way of acting on purpose to impress others or hide feelings

is broader, covering varied artificial styles beyond repeated personal habits
airs
vsaffectation
  • Informal
1 7.9

A way of behaving that tries to show you are better than other people

covers artificial behaviour beyond only social manners
overacting
vsaffectation
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Acting with too much emotion so it does not seem real

relates to everyday artificial behaviour rather than staged acting
showiness
vsaffectation
1 6.5

A style that is very bright or richly decorated to attract attention

is narrower, highlighting artificial personal manner rather than large displays
smarminess
vsaffectation
  • Informal
1 9.2

Too much praise that tries to make people like you

is about artificial manner in general, not only flattering behaviour
melodramatics
vsaffectation
1 7.2

A person's exaggerated emotional behavior often shown in speech or acting

is broader, applying to everyday artificial manner beyond staged emotion
affectedness
vsaffectation
8.6

Acting in a fake or showy way to impress other people

is the general label for such artificial manner aimed to impress
artificialness
vsaffectation
7.3

A way of acting or speaking that does not feel sincere

focuses more on the intent to impress rather than just false appearance
showy performance
vsaffectation
5.4

A performance that tries to get attention by being loud or dramatic

applies to everyday artificial behaviour rather than theatrical presentations
performativity
vsaffectation
  • Literature
9.9

Actions that seem important but do not make real change

is more about artificial manner specifically aimed at impressing people
unctuousness
vsaffectation
9.9

A false friendliness that tries to please or impress people

is broader, applying to artificial manner without the persuasive smoothness

Antonyms

71 4.8

A quality that shows something is real and believable to people

1 3.9

Being genuine and not showing forced or fake feelings

How Pretentious

ostentation
3 8.5
affectation
11 8.6
pose
22 7.0

Surface Forms

affectation singular
affectations plural

Morphology

affectation = affect (semi-transparent) = affect + ation

Formally a straightforward nominalization of 'affect' with '-ation', but the specific sense 'artificial behaviour to impress' depends on the less familiar verb sense 'to pretend', so the relation may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Affectation comes from the Latin word affectare, which meant 'to put on' or 'to try to get'. Think of the English verb affect—when someone 'affects' an accent or a way of speaking they are putting it on like a costume. That's why an affectation is behaviour that is not natural but made to impress others.