as in shows
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
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Recent Examples of masquerades
Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Burnout masquerades as ambition.
—Kelly Ehlers, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
And humiliation masquerades as justice.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
The gala will conclude with rousing Cameroon and Nigerian masquerades by the Odenigbo Group.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
Bias masquerades as opinion, with no guidance and no intent to help.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Burnout masquerades as ambition.
—Kelly Ehlers, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
And humiliation masquerades as justice.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
The gala will conclude with rousing Cameroon and Nigerian masquerades by the Odenigbo Group.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masquerades
Noun
-
The production and stage will be three times the size of the comedians’ normal stages and will be managed by the same team that produces stadium shows for acts like Los Bukis and Bad Bunny.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Only a few years ago, the NIH workforce was steadily growing, from roughly 17,700 employees in fiscal year 2019 to around 21,100 in fiscal 2024, federal data shows.—
Rachana Pradhan,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The documentary may or may not provide a definitive answer, but the fact that Martin poses the question — and that the filmmakers chose to include Michaels’ non-answer — suggests the topic won’t be avoided entirely.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The Neo-versus-Air question also poses some subtler design and feature differences.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This moment will come in many guises.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Both marques returned to the competition this year in new guises.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Like that video where Bryan Cranston impersonates Art Garfunkel at Central Park, and his bouffant gets bigger every time the camera cuts back.—
Mike Sutter,
San Antonio Express-News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Those that fear dust mites and other allergens will be pleased to know this $40 pick from Quince impersonates hotel luxury pillows without the goose down or the price point.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The alert follows multiple unconfirmed social media reports appearing to capture Iranian Shahed drones slamming into the facades of large buildings near Bahrain’s capital, Manama.—
Dan Mangan,Leslie Josephs,Spencer Kimball,CJ Haddad,Justin Papp,Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2026
-
These aren’t just pretty facades.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Christian pretends to fall so everyone looks at him, and then Devens stashes a fake idol wrapped in the real sheet from the BEBI.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
-
On the right, Tucker Carlson has repeatedly asserted that Buttigieg only pretends to be gay, and is in fact a straight man faking homosexuality for political clout.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet even as Starbucks attempts to refocus on coffee by moving away from desserts masquerading as drinks, newer chains are making no pretenses about selling beverages that can easily tide someone over through a mealtime or two.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Johnson eventually pleaded no contest to three counts of false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Myers’ maternal half-brother is Quentin Grimes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and spent part of the 2024-25 season with the Mavericks.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masquerades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masquerades. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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