Synonyms of affectation

affectation

noun

ˌa-ˌfek-ˈtā-shən 

as in pretension

the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case

a woman of great affectation at social gatherings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pretension
• arrogance
• pretense
• vanity
• disdain
• superiority
• affectedness
• grandiosity
• inflation
• pride
• pretentiousness
• confidence
• smugness
• hauteur
• snobbery
• imperiousness
• snobbishness
• superciliousness
• complacency
• haughtiness
• vainglory
• egotism
• vainness
• self-satisfaction
• boastfulness
• pompousness
• self-conceit
• conceit
• presumptuousness
• self-aggrandizement
• self-importance
• self-assertion
• rudeness
• self-assurance
• aggressiveness
• bumptiousness
• presumption
• self-confidence
• lordliness
• boldness
• forwardness
• braggadocio
• impudence
• assertiveness
• ostentation
• cockiness
• flamboyance
• gaudiness
• self-glorification
• vaingloriousness
• grandiloquence
• audaciousness
• sureness
• cheekiness
• insolence
• garishness
• showiness
• mummery
• self-consequence
• brassiness
• flashiness
• ostentatiousness
• glitz
• self-assumption
• show

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• meekness
• humbleness
• demureness
• diffidence
• lowliness
• timidity
• bashfulness
• shyness
• sincerity
• down-to-earthness
• naturalness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun affectation contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of affectation are airs, air, mannerism, and pose. While all these words mean "an adopted way of speaking or behaving," affectation applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere.

the posh accent is an affectation

When would air be a good substitute for affectation?

While the synonyms air and affectation are close in meaning, air may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life.

a traveler's sophisticated air

When is it sensible to use airs instead of affectation?

The meanings of airs and affectation largely overlap; however, airs always implies artificiality and pretentiousness.

snobbish airs

When can mannerism be used instead of affectation?

Although the words mannerism and affectation have much in common, mannerism applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit.

gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism

When is pose a more appropriate choice than affectation?

The synonyms pose and affectation are sometimes interchangeable, but pose implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others.

her shyness was just a pose

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of affectation

Now, though levees may not exactly be back, royal affectations and the disputes that go with them are. —Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026

That’s probably an affectation. —Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025

Alternatively, sometimes the quest to reach world markets by way of film-festival acclaim gives rise to the opposite—to big swings and big misses, the kind of festival films that, by ambition, idiosyncrasy, and length, cut through the clamor but exude affectation and effortfulness. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025

May contributes harp glissandos, which somehow don’t come off as a precocious affectation. —Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025