charade

[shuh-reyd, shuh-rahd]

noun

1. (used with a singular verb),  charades, a game in which the players are typically divided into two teams, members of which take turns at acting out in pantomime a word, phrase, title, etc., which the members of their own team must guess.

2. a word or phrase acted out in this game.

3. a blatant pretense or deception, especially something so full of pretense as to be a travesty.

charade

/ ʃəˈrɑːd /

noun

1. an episode or act in the game of charades

2. an absurd act; travesty

Word History and Origins

Origin of charade¹

1770–80; < French < Provençal charrad ( o ) entertainment, equivalent to charr ( á ) to chat, chatter (from imitative root) + -ado -ade ¹

Example Sentences

Why force myself to go through with this charade again?

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It was a lot to glean from a round of charades.

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Luckily, Penelope had always been good at charades, and she found she rather enjoyed the challenge.

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At first, Mosley pretended like he was there to fix something, like the dishwasher or the refrigerator, but he eventually abandoned the charade, and now he just came over for lunch.

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"The Saudi authorities continue to detain my sister while they persist in their charade of whitewashing their image and claiming to empower women in front of Western media," her sister Fawzia al-Otaibi told BBC Sport.

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Related Words

• deception 
• farce 
• travesty