Synonyms

grandstanding

American

[gran-stan-ding, grand-] / ˈgrænˌstæn dɪŋ, ˈgrænd- /

noun

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

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.

Etymology

Origin of grandstanding

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Elon Musk has made several grandstanding predictions about when he believes humankind will reach the red planet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Hitler discovered that courtrooms were the perfect platform for his political grandstanding.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2024

How many more readers will that Post story get as a result of her grandstanding?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2024

She is not in politics for the grandstanding, but to get things done according to her beliefs.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024

What was meaningful to voters and what was just grandstanding, though, I wasn’t quite sure.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023