pageantry

noun

pag·​eant·​ry ˈpa-jən-trē 

1

: pageants and the presentation of pageants

2

: colorful, rich, or splendid display : spectacle

3

: mere show : empty display

Examples of pageantry in a Sentence

I like the tradition and pageantry that come with graduations.

Recent Examples on the Web

This year, the pageantry and spectacle returned its usual February scheduling and was brought back to its original 1877 host venue of Madison Square Garden in New York – then known as Gilmore’s Garden. —Kevin Dotson, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025

Consider the Roman Catholic pageantry and aesthetic splendor of it all, with the ceremonial rites, the pilgrimages to grand cathedrals (St. Dolby’s, St. Beverly Hilton’s), lots of sermonizing, and even fast days. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2025

Before dinner, sip cocktails at one of the cafes surrounding Il Campo, where the city celebrates the centuries-old Palio — a fierce, bareback horse race filled with pageantry — twice a year. —Carole Rosenblat, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2025

During a presidential inauguration, where pomp and pageantry often take center stage, what the first lady or a future first lady wears can help humanize the president. —Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pageantry

noun

pag·​eant·​ry ˈpaj-ən-trē 

plural pageantries

1

: pageants and the presentation of pageants

2

: splendid display