grandstanding

American  

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

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.

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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.

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

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

I figured he was just grandstanding, sucking up the media’s attention because he could.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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