mummery

[ muhm-uh-ree ]

noun

, plural mum·mer·ies.

1. the performance of mummers.
2. any performance, ceremony, etc., regarded as absurd, false, or ostentatious.

mummery

/ ˈmʌmərɪ /

noun

1. a performance by mummers
2. hypocritical or ostentatious ceremony

Word History and Origins

Origin of mummery¹

First recorded in 1520–30; mummer + -y ³

Example Sentences

But what was once the norm can now seem a kind of ableist mummery, which this production attempts to sidestep by offering a Richard with no physical impairments at all.

From New York Times

Scalia writes that Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion is written “in a style that is as pretentious as its content is egotistic,” overflowing with “mummeries,” “silly extravagances,” and “straining-to-be-memorable passages.”

From MSNBC

“A show, as you have said. Let them have their mummery. When they are gone, we will make a fruit market of what they leave behind.”

From Literature

If we lose the war, she ought to take up mummery, she has a gift for it.

From Literature

"It would seem you've had quite an adventure. These men you heard, you say they spoke of juggling and mummery?"

From Literature

Related Words

• antic
• farce
• gag
• humor
• laugh
• one-liner
• parody
• prank
• pun
• stunt
• trick
• wisecrack