n.
Function: noun
Date: 1818
1 : a sustained posture especially : one assumed for artistic effect
2 : an attitude, role, or characteristic assumed for effect
synonyms POSE , AIR , AIRS , AFFECTATION , MANNERISM mean an adopted way of speaking or behaving. POSE implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others <her shyness was just a pose >. AIR may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life <a traveler's sophisticated air >. AIRS always implies artificiality and pretentiousness <snobbish airs >. AFFECTATION applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere <the posh accent is an affectation >. MANNERISM applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit <gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism >.