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

According to Kyslytsia, these dealings are business-like and generally free of the sort of political and historical grandstanding seen elsewhere by Moscow.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

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

Instead, officials “chose grandstanding instead of the normal process” and arrested Williamson at home Wednesday, despite her being seriously ill and in need of a liver transplant, Scott said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

Both sides of parliament dismissed it as disrespectful and a failed attempt at grandstanding.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2024

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

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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