Synonyms of guises

guises

noun

plural of guise

1

as in facades

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

he allowed himself to dine at fine restaurants all over the world under the guise of research for his book on international cuisine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• facades
• pretenses
• shows
• poses
• disguises
• masquerades
• airs
• charades
• acts
• fronts
• personae
• semblances
• pretexts
• cloaks
• portrayals
• put-ons
• performances
• impersonations
• deceptions
• appearances
• affectations
• deceits
• duplicities
• glosses
• guiles
• colors
• excuses
• betrayals
• images
• frauds
• dissimulations
• treacheries
• treasons
• perfidies
• camouflages
• infidelities
• double-dealings
• double crosses
• fakeries
• falsities

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• candors
• sincerities
• naïvetés

2

as in costumes

clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation

she felt as though she should be wearing some sort of Germanic guise, complete with dirndl, for the fall festival featuring traditional German food and drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

• costumes
• dresses
• clothes
• garbs
• attires
• outfits
• togs
• getups
• styles
• modes
• habiliments
• duds
• raiments
• apparels
• drags
• fashions
• vestments
• arrays
• caparisons

3

as in masks

clothing put on to hide one's true identity or imitate someone or something else

he sneaked into the castle to rescue Ivanhoe in the guise of a priest coming to give Ivanhoe his last rites

Synonyms & Similar Words

• costumes
• masks
• disguises
• camouflages
• veils
• visors
• paints
• rigs
• dresses
• cosmetics
• outfits
• colorings
• getups
• dominoes
• vizards
• costumeries
• makeups

4

as in appearances

outward and often deceptive indication

hazing rituals may have the guise of harmless fun, but often the reality is serious physical abuse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• appearances
• faces
• effects
• impressions
• names
• outwards
• seemings
• shows
• semblances
• pretenses
• resemblances
• implications
• likenesses
• representations
• airs
• disguises
• suggestions
• displays
• surfaces
• imitations
• fictions
• shapes
• masks
• insinuations
• cloaks
• images
• demonstrations
• hints
• poses
• simulations
• affectations
• facades
• fronts
• masquerades
• exteriors
• glosses
• impostures
• shells
• make-believe
• veneers
• patinas
• Potemkin villages

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of guises

This moment will come in many guises. — Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026

Farage has been through various guises. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 8 May 2026

Footballing success, in differing guises, came a long time ago. — Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 10 June 2026

Berenger, a character who appears in different guises in several of his plays, is Ionesco’s version of Everyman. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026

Over the years, audiences have seen the Negotiator under many guises, like a martial arts expert, a cowboy, and even a mariachi musician. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026

Dwayne Johnson is a confident guy and has donned any number of ridiculous guises during his Saturday Night Live hosting gigs over the years. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026

By the time my story about him was published in the November 2023 issue of Vanity Fair, Aryeh Dodelson, and all of his guises, had disappeared from the face of the earth. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 3 Apr. 2026

Opponents of affirmative action, who suspect that the process is still continuing under other guises, could seek to replicate the winning strategy of the Harvard and UNC cases, if testing data show large, unexplainable gaps in academic preparation among different student groups. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026