mummery

noun

mum·​mery ˈmə-mə-rē 

plural mummeries

1

: a performance by mummers

2

: a ridiculous, hypocritical, or pretentious ceremony or performance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

But what was once the norm can now seem a kind of ableist mummery, which this production attempts to sidestep by offering a Richard with no physical impairments at all. —New York Times, 11 July 2022

Last week, as Russia prepared to invade Ukraine and Gergiev prepared to lead the Vienna Philharmonic in three concerts at Carnegie Hall, the usual mummery was unfolding. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2022

One of the oldest traditions in the United States is begging or the giving tips at the holiday, brought by English settlers and part of the Christmas celebrations associated with mummery and the Lord of Misrule, according to Turino. —Steven Goode, courant.com, 17 Dec. 2020

Keziah Wallis of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand says that the rift first appeared in the 19th century, when a new understanding of Buddhism as a rational philosophy free of the mummery of religion began to take hold. —The Economist, 14 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle French momerie, from momer

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mummery

noun

mum·​mery ˈməm-ə-rē 

plural mummeries

1

: a performance by mummers

2

: a ridiculous ceremony