facade

1 a forward part or surface <all of the stores in the mall have facades that are in keeping with the style of a 19th-century American village> Synonyms exterior, front (also façade), face, forehead, forepartRelated Words outside, skin, surface, veneerNear Antonyms innards, inside, interiorAntonyms back, rear, rearward, reverse

2 a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive <his interest in acting is just a facade—he joined the drama club to meet girls> Synonyms act, airs, charade, disguise, masquerade (also façade), front, guise, playacting, pose, pretense (or pretence), put-on, semblance, showRelated Words impersonation, performance, portrayal; image, persona; appearance, color, gloss; camouflage, cloak; affectation, deceit, deception, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, duplicity, fakery, fraud, guile; betrayal, double cross, faithlessness, falseness, falsity, infidelity, perfidy, treachery, treason, unfaithfulness; excuse, pretextNear Antonyms bluntness, candidness, candor, directness, forthrightness, frankness, openheartedness, outspokenness, plainspokenness, sincerity, straightforwardness; artlessness, genuineness, naïveté (also naivete or naiveté)

3 a deceptively attractive external appearance <the company's facade of success collapsed when it was revealed that its financial officers had been cooking the books for years> Synonyms gloss (also façade), veneer, window dressingRelated Words cotton candy, fluff, tinsel; fig leaf; charade, front, guise, masquerade, pose, semblance, show