pageantry

noun

pag·​eant·​ry ˈpa-jən-trē 

1

: pageants and the presentation of pageants

2

: colorful, rich, or splendid display : spectacle

3

: mere show : empty display

Examples of pageantry in a Sentence

I like the tradition and pageantry that come with graduations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Monday started with the pageantry of a now-familiar political handover (Burnham being Britain’s seventh prime minister in a little more than a decade and the fifth in four years). — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 20 July 2026

There is a lot of pageantry around the final match as well, with the World Cup closing ceremony and the tournament’s first-ever halftime show. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 July 2026

Pasolini’s emphasis on the violence and mystery of Bronze Age life extends to elaborate presentations of religious pageantry, including human sacrifice, that are both choreographic and anthropological, in images as formalized as the onscreen action. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

All the hype and pageantry of an impending Conor McGregor return to the UFC Octagon on Saturday night blew up in smoke within seconds. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pageantry

noun

pag·​eant·​ry ˈpaj-ən-trē 

plural pageantries

1

: pageants and the presentation of pageants

2

: splendid display