Showing results for "posturing"

• present participle of posture.

posturing

American  

[pos-cher-ing] / ˈpɒs tʃər ɪŋ /

noun

1. speech or action that is artificial, hypocritical, or calculated to mislead.

   I'm fed up with the reaching-across-the-aisle posturing intended to make politicians seem like they’re working hard for bipartisan reform.

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adjective

1. engaging in or characterized by such speech or behavior.

   He cynically believes that anybody trying to live up to an ideal is either a posturing liar or a simple-minded fool.

Etymology

Origin of posturing

First recorded in 1620–30; postur(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; postur(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

posturing

There comes a time when one extols cinema’s virtues so fiercely that it feels like posturing.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026

Adam Posen, the president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Bessent’s posturing was ill-advised.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

"This isn't about political posturing," Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, a Republican, said Monday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

But this tyrannical posturing reminds me not of some low-rent X-Men film but rather Syndrome, the villain in the Pixar classic “The Incredibles.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Maybe Bouain was tired by all the months of posturing to his men and wanted an actual companion.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Related Words

• charade
• cloak
• pretext
• semblance
• veneer