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affectation

 - 3 dictionary results

af⋅fec⋅ta⋅tion

  [af-ek-tey-shuhn]
Use affectation in a Sentence
–noun
1. an effort to appear to have a quality not really or fully possessed; the pretense of actual possession: an affectation of interest in art; affectation of great wealth.
2. conspicuous artificiality of manner or appearance; effort to attract notice by pretense, assumption, or any assumed peculiarity.
3. a trait, action, or expression characterized by such artificiality: a man of a thousand affectations.
4. Obsolete.
a. strenuous pursuit, desire, or aspiration.
b. affection; fondness: his affectation of literature.
Origin:
1540–50; < L affectātiōn- (s. of affectātiō) a striving after, equiv. to affectāt(us), ptp. of affectāre to affect 2 (see -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion

Synonyms:
2. pretension, airs, mannerisms, pose.

Antonyms:
2. artlessness, simplicity, sincerity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To affectation
af·fec·ta·tion   (āf'ěk-tā'shən)   
n.  

  1. A show, pretense, or display.

    1. Behavior that is assumed rather than natural; artificiality.

    2. A particular habit, as of speech or dress, adopted to give a false impression.


[Latin affectātiō, affectātiōn-, from affectātus, past participle of affectāre, to strive after; see affect2.]
Synonyms: These nouns refer to personal behavior assumed for effect. An affectation is artificial behavior, often adopted in imitation of someone, that is perceived as being unnatural: "His [Arthur Rubinstein's] playing stripped away . . . the affectations and exaggerations that characterized Chopin interpretation before his arrival" (Michael Kimmelman).
Pose denotes an attitude adopted to call favorable attention to oneself: His humility is only a pose.
Air, meaning a distinctive but intangible quality, does not always imply sham: The director had an air of authority.
In the plural, however, it suggests affectation and self-importance: The movie star was putting on airs.
Mannerism denotes an idiosyncratic trait or quirk, often one that others find obtrusive and distracting: His mannerism of closing his eyes as he talked made it seem as if he were deep in thought.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

affectation 
1548, "studied display," from L. affectationem (nom. affectatio), from affectare "to strive for" (see affect (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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