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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affectation Hard cuts, double takes, and strange cameos are par for the course with Spike, but those affectations tend to distract from the primacy of this film’s performances. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025 Ivy-as-Marilyn is an inconsiderate, amphetamine guzzling faux-intellectual whose devotion to the acting craft is presented as a vainglorious affectation. Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025 From our review: Tessa Van den Broeck, a newcomer, plays Julie with zero affectation. The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 The interaction between Briony and Jamie starts off amiably, with Jamie needling Briony for her posh affectations. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for affectation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affectation
Noun
  • But she is best remembered for Keeping Up Appearances and her role as Hyacinth Bucket, a working-class woman with pretensions of social superiority.
    Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 3 Oct. 2025
  • There's no pretension here: San Pancho's beach is dotted with boutique hotels and homes for rent and an array of restaurants, mostly of the no-frills and unassuming variety.
    Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The series follows the fictional Holliday, a former star whose arrogance burned every bridge.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Blenkin told Variety in September 2025 that his character's laughter comes from arrogance.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Multiple Democrats say Vought and the president were determined to use the shutdown as a pretense for inflicting further pain on political opponents.
    Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Composer Deantoni Parks’s score sustains and amplifies the tension, heightening the creeping pretense of water rushing forward and the punishing breathlessness of struggling back upstream.
    Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Happy Valentine’s Day card The vanity in the dressing room of the pop-up is the Easter egg mother lode, according to the Spotify reps, who encouraged us to look closely on it for clues.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
  • This means cleaning your toilet, vanity countertops, and scrubbing the shower door and tiles.
    Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • While on the show, Cuban had a reputation for being tough but fair, with a disdain for scammers and a soft spot for young entrepreneurs.
    Emy LaCroix, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
  • His open disdain for capitalism is fundamentally at odds with the very DNA of New York — the beating heart of American capitalism.
    John Foley, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But those cameras don’t fit in your pocket, which is why the iPhone has long been, and continues to be, the best camera for anyone who wants to move light, fast, and far—and the updates to the sensors reinforce its superiority.
    Jakob Schiller, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
  • With over 600 DEXs now operating according to Grvt’s estimates, pure technological superiority or lower fees no longer guarantee success.
    Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But if blithe grandiosity was Stein’s armor, there was a chink in it.
    Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Related Articles Want to tap into the grandiosity of it all through your makeup looks, in a way that pays homage to the elegance and glam of a showgirl’s life while staying true to today’s top beauty trends?
    Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Interestingly, the base price for the GTS isn’t far off from what the original 2006 Cayman S retailed for, adjusted for inflation.
    Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The measure, typically announced each October, adjusts the benefits Social Security recipients earn to counteract the effects of inflation.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Affectation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affectation. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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