performative

adjective

per·​for·​ma·​tive pər-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv 

pə-

1

: relating to or marked by public, often artistic performance

… comes across as funny, sharp and unfiltered, with a broad performative streak.

—Meredith Blake

The secret … behind a magic trick is normally quite simple, but it's the magician's performative flair and masterly execution that makes it come to life.

—Ian Frisch

For me, this changed the atmosphere of the night from performative to meditative, from a concert to a private memorial service.

—Catherine Womack

2

disapproving : made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)

But when expressing outrage is as easy as posting a hashtag, a meme, or an empty black square, there's a question of whether that outrage is genuine or performative.

—Alia E. Dastigir

… a large part of the discussion surrounding the movement's focus is on actually doing the work, rather than just keeping it a performative symbol of allyship.

—Kara Nesvig

Without black executives, anti-racism signaling is merely performative.

—Charles Chamberlayne

3

: determined and reinforced by the repeated performance of socially prescribed acts and behaviors rather than by biological factors

The view that gender is performative sought to show that what we take to be an internal essence of gender is manufactured through a sustained set of acts …

—Judith Butler

I join scholars who have argued that race is socially constructed and performative, but I keep my eye on what race and racial identity mean to those who are racialized.

—Allyson Hobbs

4

grammar : being or relating to an expression (such as a word or statement) that performs the act it specifies or that effects a transaction (see transaction sense 2b)

a performative verb such as promise

performative utterances such as 'thank you' and 'I apologize'

A performative speech act is one that does the act that it describes by the words it uses.

—Roger W. Shuy

When I say 'I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth' I do not describe the christening ceremony, I actually perform the christening. … Now these kinds of utterance are what we call performative utterances.

—J. L. Austin

compare constative

performative noun

plural performatives

… legal performatives such as "I sentence you" or "I pronounce you man and wife."

—Spencer Bokat-Lindell

Examples of performative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since voters can’t wash a president’s or member of Congress’s mouth out with soap, the question becomes whether this salty language is merely for performative shock value or a sign of declining civility in American culture. —John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025

Challenging our perceptions of ‘perfection’ With health influencers raising the bar for success, the wellness space now often feels like a performative space where people strive to showcase peak physical and mental strength. —Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

Consumers can spot performative engagement from a mile away—and will call it out! —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Soft Hands, right, competes against Nash in a tough match that, while performative, was closer to traditional wrestling. —Glenna Gordon, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

perform + -ative

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for performative

• informative
• formative
• normative
• heteronormative
• uninformative