as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
put on a convincing charade to keep her from knowing about the surprise party
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Recent Examples of charade
Wally and Marty eventually dupe a handful of white players into betting on their elaborate charade of a match, inadvertently setting off one of the film’s central plot points.
—
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
The grotesque charade didn’t seem to belong to this world.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Her only arrest was the unconstitutional ICE charade from November 12.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The silence of the G-20 declaration on this and other jihadi atrocities on the continent is a moral disgrace, revealing the gathering to be a heartless charade that history will judge harshly.
—Paul Tilsley , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for charade
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
The grotesque charade didn’t seem to belong to this world.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Her only arrest was the unconstitutional ICE charade from November 12.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The silence of the G-20 declaration on this and other jihadi atrocities on the continent is a moral disgrace, revealing the gathering to be a heartless charade that history will judge harshly.
—Paul Tilsley , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for charade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charade
Noun
-
Call it polish without pretense.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
This is not an e-bike; there are no pedals and, interestingly, no pretense of a bicycle categorization to blur regulatory lines.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Now, the spot has undergone a careful restoration of its facades just steps from Como’s city center.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
18 Feb. 2026
-
There’s enormous relief in letting go of the facade of perfect containment or the need to perform goodness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Figure skating is like a pageant wrapped in a game show with a little bit of reality show thrown in.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Earlier in the show, Chioma tells Choe how British Vogue’s Gisele Pelicot digital cover story came to be.—
Chelsea Daniel,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The government insisted his case had nothing to do with press freedom, saying the defendants used journalism as a guise to commit acts that harmed Hong Kong and China.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Both marques returned to the competition this year in new guises.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There is something very classic about these acts.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The act of measurement seemingly makes this hazy quantumness go away, replaced by something definite and more in line with our experience of classical reality.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fully aware of how costly the mistake was, Glenn couldn’t hide her disappointment immediately after hitting her final pose, grimacing and trying to hold back her emotions.—
Alice Park,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
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One of her favorite things to do during these sleep sojourns is pose personal, even existential questions — probing the mysterious terrain of her own subconscious mind.—
Carolyn Y. Johnson,
Washington Post,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Krewes are also known for hosting formal and exclusive masquerade balls.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Shondaland series continues to follow bohemian second son Benedict Bridgerton, whose search for love was set in motion during Part 1 after he became entranced by a mysterious Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Charade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charade. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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