affectation

American  

[af-ek-tey-shuhn] / ˌæf ɛkˈteɪ ʃən /

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.

   Synonyms:

   airs, pretension, simulation, pretense, pose, facade, appearance

   Antonyms:

   sincerity, simplicity

3. a trait, action, or expression characterized by such artificiality.

   a man of a thousand affectations.

4. Obsolete.

   1. strenuous pursuit, desire, or aspiration.

   2. affection; fondness.

      his affectation of literature.

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affectation British  

/ ˌæfɛkˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. an assumed manner of speech, dress, or behaviour, esp one that is intended to impress others

2. (often foll by of) deliberate pretence or false display

   affectation of nobility

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Other Word Forms

• nonaffectation noun

Etymology

Origin of affectation

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin affectātiōn- (stem of affectātiō ) “a striving after,” equivalent to affectāt(us), past participle of affectāre “to strive after, feign” + -iōn- a suffix forming nouns; affect ², -ate ¹, -ion

Explanation

The guy at your local coffee shop who's never left the state but speaks as though he's lived in London all his life? His British accent is an affectation. Never confuse affectation with affection — which means “love” or “tenderness.” While affection might not always be genuine, affectation is never the real thing. In fact, affectation is all about faking it. Do you believe the politician cares about poor people, or do you think his concern is an affectation?

Example Sentences

In the heat-soaked world of Marty Hart and Rust Cohle, creepiness was an affectation — part misdirecting figment, part metaphor.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2024

Carroll proved long ago it’s not an act or affectation; it’s just who he is, for better or worse.

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2023

A creature of social affectation, he’s lost touch with any artistic authenticity he might once have possessed.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2022

But “Decision to Leave” is also needlessly complicated and at times almost impossible to follow, its narrative inscrutability often coming across less as the result of nonlinear storytelling than as simply a cinematic affectation.

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2022

Instead, she slid her shades up onto her avatar’s forehead—a blatant affectation, since sunglasses didn’t actually affect a player’s vision—and looked me up and down, making a show of sizing me up.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline