poseur

[ poh-zur; French paw-zœr ]

noun

, plural po·seurs [poh-, zurz, paw-, zœr].

1. a person who attempts to impress others by assuming or affecting a manner, degree of elegance, sentiment, etc., other than their true one.

poseur

/ pəʊˈzɜː /

noun

1. a person who strikes an attitude or assumes a pose in order to impress others

Word History and Origins

Origin of poseur¹

From French, dating back to 1880–85; pose ¹, -eur

Word History and Origins

Origin of poseur¹

C19: from French, from poser to pose ¹

Example Sentences

“I’m not stupid. I know I’m supposed to keep everything a secret. No, I just told him that I’ve got some royalty in the family. And quit judging me, I know I’m a poseur!”

From Literature

Even in this truncated day of court, the picture painted of Trump was not the regal leader of his fantasies, but who he actually is: A sleazy poseur who belongs to the world of trashy tabloids and scheming hucksters.

From Salon

And Daniel Johnson in the Telegraph called him “a prancing poseur”: “Past presidents like Resistance hero General de Gaulle felt no need to show off.”

From Seattle Times

Craig is no Nick Adams, but did Sternbergh project his own impostor syndrome onto Daisy’s poseur husband?

From Los Angeles Times

Does this purveyor of nonfiction cinema have any real truth to express, or is he just a poseur, a sham, a sellout?

From Los Angeles Times