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

Days after Chinese leader Xi Jinping left Washington having enjoyed a state dinner and a marching band, both sides are still figuring out what the pageantry actually bought them. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

Even a few Republican loyalists have recoiled at the extravagant pageantry, seemingly designed to flatter Xi and awe a domestic audience, although the absence of TV cameras at the Rose Garden ceremony undermined that low-ambition objective. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2026

Trump on Wednesday was looking to match the pageantry he was met with in China earlier this year. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

But below the surface-level pageantry at the White House, little is likely to be resolved as the world’s two biggest economies continue to spar over trade, Taiwan, AI and more. — Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 23 Sep. 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