grandstanding

[ gran-stan-ding, grand- ]

noun

1. the act or practice of behaving or performing in a showy way in an attempt to impress others:

   With nearly 14 million unemployed, this grandstanding over such a comparatively small retraining program (only 10,000 people) is downright insulting.

adjective

1. being or engaging in this kind of behavior or performance:

   It’s a nice, quiet movie—no guns or car chases, no grandstanding actors, and not too fast-paced.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandstanding¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; grandstand ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun; grandstand ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

Both sides of parliament dismissed it as disrespectful and a failed attempt at grandstanding.

From BBC

To follow Harris’ expression of sorrow for her loss with “...But do you want to answer her?” is needless grandstanding, not fact-finding pressure.

From Salon

Rather than grandstanding like this, Congress should spend its time considering the privacy and free speech arguments offered by the ban’s opponents.

From Salon

“It’s getting worse. They want to break public education and go to school vouchers. It’s political grandstanding.”

From Los Angeles Times

Even though each candidate did his fair share of partisan grandstanding, those contests involved actual exchanges of ideas directly between the two principals.

From Salon

Related Words

• egocentric
• egotistical
• self-absorbed
• self-indulgent
• selfish