guise

noun

ˈgīz 

1

: a form or style of dress : costume

attended the masquerade in the guise of a court jester

2

a

obsolete : manner, fashion

b

archaic : a customary way of speaking or behaving

3

a

: external appearance : semblance

The android is a machine in human guise.

b

: pretext

swindles people under the guise of friendship

Synonyms

• act
• airs
• charade
• disguise
• facade
• façade
• front
• masquerade
• playacting
• pose
• pretense
• pretence
• put-on
• semblance
• show

Examples of guise in a Sentence

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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Zombie Nightmare got the MST3K treatment, but Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare is his finest moment, a bit of heroic myth-making the guise of a slasher film. —Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2024

In this guise, the veteran industry expert is putting his know-how behind a new program called Maso, dedicated to fostering the production of European shorts in tandem with the IDM-Film Commission Südtirol. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gise, guise, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wīsa manner — more at wise

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing guise

• in the guise of
• under the guise of

Kids Definition

guise

noun

ˈgīz 

1

: a form or style of dress : costume

in the guise of a shepherd

2

: outer or disguised appearance : semblance

swindled people under the guise of friendship

Biographical Definition

Guise 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈgēz,

also

ˈgwēz 

2nd Duc de 1519–1563 François de Lorraine French soldier and politician

Guise

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

3rd Duc de 1550–1588 Henri I de Lorraine French soldier and politician