Synonyms of airs

airs 1 of 2

noun

plural of air

as in show

a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive

ever since she joined the country club she's been putting on airs of being too "high society" for us ordinary folks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• show
• facade
• pretense
• guise
• act
• pose
• front
• charade
• masquerade
• semblance
• disguise
• appearance
• cloak
• performance
• put-on
• playacting
• pretext
• persona
• portrayal
• affectation
• impersonation
• image
• duplicity
• deception
• gloss
• camouflage
• treachery
• fraud
• deceit
• excuse
• falseness
• betrayal
• dissimulation
• treason
• color
• fakery
• guile
• perfidy
• dissembling
• falsity
• double cross
• faithlessness
• infidelity
• double-dealing
• unfaithfulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• frankness
• directness
• candor
• bluntness
• outspokenness
• forthrightness
• straightforwardness
• candidness
• genuineness
• artlessness
• naïveté
• openheartedness
• plainspokenness

airs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of air

as in voices

to make known (as an idea, emotion, or opinion)

suggested we air any complaints about the seating arrangements to the person who actually planned the event

Synonyms & Similar Words

• voices
• expresses
• gives
• states
• announces
• ventilates
• looks
• sounds
• expounds
• vents
• writes
• broadcasts
• raises
• proclaims
• publishes
• puts forth
• advertises
• says
• conveys
• circulates
• describes
• declares
• disseminates
• gives air to
• enunciates
• offers
• submits
• enounces
• speaks out
• speaks up
• communicates
• sounds off
• writes up
• chimes in
• puts across
• puts over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppresses
• restricts
• stifles
• restrains
• censors

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun airs contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of airs are affectation, air, mannerism, and pose. While all these words mean "an adopted way of speaking or behaving," airs always implies artificiality and pretentiousness.

snobbish airs

Where would affectation be a reasonable alternative to airs?

The meanings of affectation and airs largely overlap; however, affectation applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere.

the posh accent is an affectation

In what contexts can air take the place of airs?

In some situations, the words air and airs are roughly equivalent. However, air may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life.

a traveler's sophisticated air

When could mannerism be used to replace airs?

The words mannerism and airs can be used in similar contexts, but mannerism applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit.

gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism

When might pose be a better fit than airs?

While the synonyms pose and airs are close in meaning, pose implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others.

her shyness was just a pose

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of airs

Noun

McAfee is expected to continue his daily talk show that airs on ESPN and other platforms. — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

The ad airs as Hinojosa, a state lawmaker, has aggressively looked to exploit an undercurrent of discontent in rural, Republican strongholds over data centers’ perceived threat to rural life, ranchland and dwindling water supplies. — Marc Levy, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Seinfeld airs on Comedy Central, nightly on TV Land and occasionally on other Paramount cable networks. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

An encore of the broadcast airs Saturday, August 15 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. — Lauren Clark, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

My Life with the Walter Boys has already been renewed for season 4, a rare move from Netflix, which will sometimes wait months after a new season airs to decide the fate of a show. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Alice is not a person who puts on airs to please others; quite the opposite. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026

How to watch Shark Week 2026 Shark Week 2026 airs on the Discovery Channel while streaming on Max and Discovery+ from Sunday, July 26, through Saturday, August 1. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 26 July 2026

The challenges are where most of the drama goes down, but the show also recruited none other than Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, to serve as a guest judge for an episode that airs on July 26, 2026. — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 24 July 2026

Verb

For $6/month, viewers can watch all out-of-market live preseason action on NFL+, unless the game airs on a national network, as is the case Thursday night when ESPN covers Fernando Mendoza and the Las Vegas Raiders’ trip to play the Houston Texans. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026

The series airs every Tuesday evening and then streams after that. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

The combat and self-defense competition series, which airs on YouTube and across social media has generated 150M views online and has run for three seasons. — Peter White, Deadline, 17 July 2026

The new episode of Most Extreme Humans airs Wednesday, July 15 at 9 pm ET/PT on TLC. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

However, the finale typically airs in late September or early October. — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Season one airs Tuesdays on Bravo, and has already filmed its first reunion, to air after the installment finishes airing. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

The show airs weekdays on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu. — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 29 June 2026

The show also airs on the Paramount Network, but that’s mainly for new episodes. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 June 2026