manner

bearing, deportment, demeanor, mien, manner, carriage mean the outward manifestation of personality or attitude. bearing is the most general of these words but now usually implies characteristic posture.

• • a woman of regal bearing

deportment suggests actions or behavior as formed by breeding or training.

• • your deportment was atrocious

demeanor suggests one's attitude toward others as expressed in outward behavior.

• • the haughty demeanor of the headwaiter

mien is a literary term referring both to bearing and demeanor.

• • a mien of supreme self-satisfaction

manner implies characteristic or customary way of moving and gesturing and addressing others.

• • the imperious manner of a man used to giving orders

carriage applies chiefly to habitual posture in standing or walking.

• • the kind of carriage learned at boarding school

method, mode, manner, way, fashion, system mean the means taken or procedure followed in achieving an end. method implies an orderly logical arrangement usually in steps.

• • effective teaching methods

mode implies an order or course followed by custom, tradition, or personal preference.

• • the preferred mode of transportation

manner is close to mode but may imply a procedure or method that is individual or distinctive.

• • an odd manner of conducting

way is very general and may be used for any of the preceding words.

• • has her own way of doing things

fashion may suggest a peculiar or characteristic way of doing something.

• • rushing about in his typical fashion

system suggests a fully developed or carefully formulated method often emphasizing rational orderliness.

• • a filing system