masquerade 1 of 2

noun

ˌma-skə-ˈrād How to pronounce masquerade (audio)
Definition of masqueradenext
as in facade
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive although she was deeply bored, she maintained a masquerade of polite interest as her guest droned on

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

masquerade

2 of 2

verb

as in to pose

Related Words

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 masquerade
Noun
And that, in 1990, the Valentine’s Day masquerade ball at the George Hotel in Rye, Sussex, featured Lady Chatterley’s Lover’s Soup. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 The long shadow of the occupation Twenty-three years after George Bush and Tony Blair resolved that Iraqis were to be emancipated, the country remains captive to a masquerade of power. — Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
Verb
At times during his bombastic, table-shaking, enigmatic career, the singer, arranger, musician, and producer came off as a restless indie artist masquerading as a multiplatinum megastar. — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026 For his part, Amato was a techno sophisticate masquerading as a party monster. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for masquerade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masquerade
  1. facade
  2. pose
  3. pretense
  4. pretend
  5. show
  6. impersonate
  7. guise
  8. act
Noun
  • In 2025, a mini renovation updated the hotel’s façade, added more seating and a second hot tub to the indoor pool area, and refreshed the Gallery Restaurant to give it a more modern feel.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026
  • How much Moreno cared about criticism was unclear — though there were cracks in the facade.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of facade
Verb
  • Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi attended the ceremony last year and posed with Dembele, the attacker who in 2024-25 played a huge role in ending PSG’s long wait for a Champions League title.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Images released by state media showed the girl posing with her father and the ship’s crew for a group photo after getting a tour of the vessel.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of pose
Noun
  • Using the pretense of a documentary film crew, the show follows the excruciatingly dull workday experiences of a paper supply company in a drab office in a bleak industrial estate in Slough, England.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Behind closed doors, Chloe gets hired by Melody under the pretense that Chloe is helping her teacher’s illiterate husband learn how to read.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of pretense
Verb
  • In Mozart’s original, two Italian soldiers decide to test their lovers’ fidelity by pretending to head off to war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Respondents questioned Dave Aranda’s roster construction, the program’s lack of identity and why everybody is pretending this isn’t a lame-duck season.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretend
Noun
  • Crude-tanker stocks have led the rally, up 120% year-to-date, followed by car carriers, gas carriers and dry-bulk shippers, Lloyd's data show.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The fact that the show couldn’t manage even a modicum of suspense with the same material shows how utterly sauceless this adaptation is.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of show
Verb
  • The agents also allegedly impersonated a moderator on the wiki, using an identical Cyrillic е character in the admin's username instead of the Latin one.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The warnings reviewed here describe criminals impersonating MyChart through phishing campaigns.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of impersonate
Noun
  • Throughout the weekend, Dudamel embraced the worlds of Hollywood, Latin music in many guises and old-fashioned rock.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • With their traditional, legacy rivals — the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — in various guises of transition, Arsenal are suddenly the team to beat and the Emirates is suddenly a library of sound; noise please.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of guise
Verb
  • Looks like the method acting (stopping his heart medication in order to play a dying man) paid off.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The Louisiana state court sought to enjoin the SEC from acting against LSU for rostering the players, but even then LSU chose not to roster the players — at least not yet.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of act

Phrases Containing masquerade

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masque
masquerade
masquerade (as)
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Cite this Entry

“Masquerade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masquerade. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on masquerade

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about masquerade

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