performative

adjective

per·​for·​ma·​tive pər-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv 

pə-

1

: relating to or marked by public, often artistic performance

… comes across as funny, sharp and unfiltered, with a broad performative streak.

—Meredith Blake

The secret … behind a magic trick is normally quite simple, but it's the magician's performative flair and masterly execution that makes it come to life.

—Ian Frisch

For me, this changed the atmosphere of the night from performative to meditative, from a concert to a private memorial service.

—Catherine Womack

2

disapproving : made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)

But when expressing outrage is as easy as posting a hashtag, a meme, or an empty black square, there's a question of whether that outrage is genuine or performative.

—Alia E. Dastigir

… a large part of the discussion surrounding the movement's focus is on actually doing the work, rather than just keeping it a performative symbol of allyship.

—Kara Nesvig

Without black executives, anti-racism signaling is merely performative.

—Charles Chamberlayne

3

: determined and reinforced by the repeated performance of socially prescribed acts and behaviors rather than by biological factors

The view that gender is performative sought to show that what we take to be an internal essence of gender is manufactured through a sustained set of acts …

—Judith Butler

I join scholars who have argued that race is socially constructed and performative, but I keep my eye on what race and racial identity mean to those who are racialized.

—Allyson Hobbs

4

grammar : being or relating to an expression (such as a word or statement) that performs the act it specifies or that effects a transaction (see transaction sense 2b)

a performative verb such as promise

performative utterances such as 'thank you' and 'I apologize'

A performative speech act is one that does the act that it describes by the words it uses.

—Roger W. Shuy

When I say 'I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth' I do not describe the christening ceremony, I actually perform the christening. … Now these kinds of utterance are what we call performative utterances.

—J. L. Austin

compare constative

performative noun

plural performatives

… legal performatives such as "I sentence you" or "I pronounce you man and wife."

—Spencer Bokat-Lindell

Examples of performative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The way Love brought together the performative element of being a woman, combined with being rebellious through the voice, is something Nyende connected to. —Candace Hansen, SPIN, 12 Apr. 2024

Even superficial performative ones (in the event of differing tastes). —Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

But Wills goes further: Onegin, in his performative heterosexuality, kills Lensky, his best friend and lover, in a duel. —Joshua Barone, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

In moments such as these, there’s nothing performative about their power. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024

Mary for example, through performative gestures and self-portraiture engages with the history of women in Apartheid South Africa and how the change of the Born Free generation is creating a new way to engage with South Africa. —Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024

Curator Alison Hearst focuses on the past decade of his career and his paintings, of which there are and includes more than 40 in the show along with several drawings, and a video portraying painting as a performative act. —James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024

This can seem extremely indiscreet – or even performative – because of the way this rakes in a lot of sympathy or commiseration from followers. —Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024

This can seem extremely indiscreet — or even performative — because of the way this rakes in a lot of sympathy or commiseration from followers. —Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perform + -ative

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1