playacting 1 of 2

noun

Definition of playactingnext
as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive it was clear to her friends that her reaction to the news was pure playacting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

playacting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of playact
as in masquerading

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for playacting
  1. pretense
  2. show
  3. posing
  4. facade
  5. pretending
  6. act
  7. acting
  8. guise
Noun
  • Under the pretense of protecting her family, Emilia sends her wife, Jessi (Gomez), and their children to Switzerland.
    Robert Lang, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
  • When Avril moves in with a woman, resorting for a while to the pretense of separate bedrooms, this upheaval in their lives is barely mentioned.
    Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
Definition of pretense
Noun
  • Brittany Cartwright took in the show with her 3-year-old son, Cruz.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
  • The second match sees the Houston Texans host Baltimore and in a gift for sports and music fans alike Beyonce will perform the half-time show.
    Eduardo Tansley, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of show
Verb
  • Other photos included the bunch walking arm-in-arm through Disneyland, posing in front of a Star Wars display and wearing matching orange shades.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Other photos included the bunch walking arm-in-arm through Disneyland, posing in front of a Star Wars display and wearing matching orange shades.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of posing
Noun
  • The round arches were repeated on the main facade around entrances and in the panel surrounding the stained glass rose window.
    Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Dec. 2024
  • That red brick facade and handsome shutters hold timeless charm, but the city condo has even more delights inside.
    Miriam Schwartz, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2024
Definition of facade
Verb
  • While maintaining a quirky and mysterious air, the show yields questions like, is a cult real if its creators are pretending but its followers aren’t?
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
  • June Squibb plays the titular Thelma, who gets taken in by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) to the tune of $10,000.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of pretending
Noun
  • Prosecutors have described the murder as an act of terrorism, noting a notebook found on Mangione expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry.
    Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
  • After a decade as openers for regional musical acts, and only gradually incorporating often crass comedy into their act, Williams and Ree moved to Los Angeles and became regulars at the Comedy Store during the late 1970s.
    Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of act
Verb
  • When the pot was broken, the gifts would spill out, acting as an offering to Huitzilopochtli.
    Monica Navarro, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Viewers have to struggle to recognize Farrell, who is acting a tour de force beneath some pretty involved prosthetics and makeup.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of acting
Noun
  • In each portrait the artist assumes the guise of an actor or entertainer, gazing into the camera with a pleased expression or a toothy smile.
    Natasha Degen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Combat, a rare low point of the original, returns in a newly scrappy guise: Each swing, dodge, and pull of the trigger is a moment of high-octane drama in itself.
    Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Definition of guise
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near playacting

playacted

playacting

playacts

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Cite this Entry

“Playacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playacting. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.

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