performativity
noun
per·for·ma·tiv·i·ty
pər-ˌfȯr-mə-ˈti-və-tē 
pə-
: the quality or state of being performative
especially, often disapproving
: the state of being made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)
Why would he not be obsessed with the performativity of social media, of buffing up appearances? —
Suzanne Moore
Suzanne Moore Examples of performativity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An anxiety-inducing character study that grapples with the performativity of both domestic bliss and enlightened whiteness, the show is most successful as an exploration of the cracks that can grow into fissures when two people can’t see each other clearly.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023
Some, like Andy or his wife (Marling), are purposely hard to read, given that their smallest interactions reek of performativity.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Nov. 2023
The matchups will be assessed by five judges using six metrics: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.
—Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023
Through Angela, the writers tell a modern fable about the performativity required to gain clout, the Instagram-to-entrepreneur pipeline that leads to brand deals and bigger bank accounts.
—WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023
Correcting this issue would require us to address the deeper issue of performativity in office environments.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2022
Eady continues on to connect grief respectability to performativity and religious conservatism.
—Cheyenne M. Davis, refinery29.com, 17 May 2022
As many of us have intuited—and research by Silvia Bellezza of Columbia University and her colleagues has shown—busyness can be a form of performativity in our culture.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021
The aesthetic telegraphs authenticity and vulnerability, but the special’s stunning final shots reveal the misdirection at work, encouraging skepticism of the performativity of such realism.
—New York Times, 1 June 2021
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023
Some, like Andy or his wife (Marling), are purposely hard to read, given that their smallest interactions reek of performativity.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Nov. 2023
The matchups will be assessed by five judges using six metrics: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.
—Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023
Through Angela, the writers tell a modern fable about the performativity required to gain clout, the Instagram-to-entrepreneur pipeline that leads to brand deals and bigger bank accounts.
—WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023
Correcting this issue would require us to address the deeper issue of performativity in office environments.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2022
Eady continues on to connect grief respectability to performativity and religious conservatism.
—Cheyenne M. Davis, refinery29.com, 17 May 2022
As many of us have intuited—and research by Silvia Bellezza of Columbia University and her colleagues has shown—busyness can be a form of performativity in our culture.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021
The aesthetic telegraphs authenticity and vulnerability, but the special’s stunning final shots reveal the misdirection at work, encouraging skepticism of the performativity of such realism.
—New York Times, 1 June 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'performativity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near performativity
Cite this Entry
“Performativity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/performativity. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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